Sardinia - Warriors & Traders

1 departure

22 May 2021

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9 days

From £3,095

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Summary

The archaeology of glorious Sardinia tells the story of rich prehistoric and Classical cultures, regularly in contact with the wider Mediterranean world. From the thousands of Bronze Age nuraghi (fortified stone towers) and enigmatic ritual monuments, to ancient Phoenician colonies, discover the diverse and captivating sites that have shaped this intriguing island society. Tombs, temples, trading posts and forts line the rugged shores of this culturally and archaeologically unique island.

We have the opportunity to travel in 4x4s and visit difficult to access sites. These include a variety of nuragic sites which are unique to the island, such as the sacred spring at Su Tempiesu, the megalithic chamber tomb at S’Ena e Thomes and the nuragic complex of Sa Sedda 'e Sos Carros

Tour highlights:

Visit the highest Bronze Age structure in the Mediterranean at the nuragic site of Su Nuraxi at Barumini
Explore the Cagliari Archaeological Museum to see the unique nuragic bronze figurines and statues
Examine the mysterious Tophet, children’s cemetery, at Sulcis
Visit the nuragic well shrine at Santa Cristina
See the stunning coastal and mountain scenery of Sardinia close at hand

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Today's Price
£3,095

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Deposit: £500 Single supplement: £390

Includes flights

Keeping you safe on your next tour

FREE 'Travel Safe' kits for every traveller
COVID-19 insurance
Enhanced Health and Safety audits
Distanced seating on coaches
'Get me home' service and private airport transfers
COVID protocols at our hotels, and aboard our cruise ships
Packed lunches and flexible dining options
Flexible balance payment date and COVID-friendly refund conditions
COVID-testing and medical training for tour staff
Constant monitoring and post-tour tracing

Meet your Experts

Farès Moussa

Guide Lecturer

Farès has researched and published on Phoenician, Carthaginian, Roman and ancient Amazigh cultures in North Africa and the central Mediterranean; and on rock-art in North Africa and Saudi-Arabia.

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Your itinerary

Day 1 - London - Alghero

We fly from London to Olbia and upon arrival, we transfer to our hotel in Alghero.

Hotel	Carlos V Hotel, Alghero
Meals included	Dinner

Day 2 - Alghero

Out first stop is the Monte d’Accoddi, which is an impressive prehistorical temple site. After lunch, we visit the Museum at Sassari, where there are excellent collections of nuragic artefacts, as well as Neolithic figures, ceramics and Bronze Age statues.

Hotel	Carlos V Hotel, Alghero
Meals included	All meals included

Day 3 - Alghero

We visit one of the more complex Nuraghic settlements, namely that at Palmavera. We continue by taking a short journey to explore the pre-Nuraghic tombs at Anghelu Ruju. Later, there will be free time to wander the pretty harbour town of Alghero, with its marked Spanish flavour.

Hotel	Carlos V Hotel, Alghero
Meals included	All meals included

Day 4 - Alghero - Dorgali

Today we visit Santu Antine, one of the most complete and architecturally sophisticated nuraghi in Sardinia, originally comprising 4 towers, which were connected by internal corridors and were originally 3 storeys tall. We continue our exploration of nuraghi, by visiting the two-storey tower at Losa, impressively set overlooking an island plain.

Hotel	Hotel Brancamaria, Cala Gonone
Meals included	All meals included

Day 5 - Dorgali

An all day adventure in 4x4s awaits us. We begin at a ‘Giant’s Tomb’, the megalithic chamber tombs at S’Ena e Thomes, before taking a winding road up high into the hills past the town of Orune to visit the sacred spring at Su Tempiesu. Later, we drive to another valley to visit Sa Sedda e Sos Carros, hidden in the mountains near Dorgali, where we visit nuraghic settlements.

Hotel	Hotel Brancamaria, Cala Gonone
Meals included	All meals included

Day 6 - Dorgali - Pula

We visit the nuraghic village and sacred well at Santa Cristina. We continue to the most famous and complex of all nuraghic sites, Su Nuraxi at Barumini, which has a series of architecturally sophisticated towers and concentric curtain walls, dating from 1500 BC onwards.

Hotel	Lantana Resort, Pula
Meals included	All meals included

Day 7 - Pula

Today we visit the Phoenician settlement of Sulcis, located in Sant’Antioco. Founded in the late eighth century BC, Sulcis rapidly developed into a large and prosperous city. After lunch, we visit Monte Sirai, a third-second century BC Phoenician site which gives us rare insights into late Punic settlements.

Hotel	Lantana Resort, Pula
Meals included	All meals included

Day 8 - Pula

Our morning will be spent at the fantastic Archaeological Museum at Cagliari, which hosts the island’s most important artefacts, including decorated pots and statuettes (bronzetti), from the nuraghic period. In the afternoon, we visit Nora, a Phoenician trading settlement blessed with calm waters and good anchorage. The settlement was continuously occupied, rebuilt and restructured until early Medieval times.