Sicily and Sardinia – Islands hidden gems
Thinking about Italy I got the feeling that, although I travel a lot also for my work, I visited just a little part of the immense range of the incredible spots that would worthy a visit. Hidden villages, off the radar natural wonders and other fantastic places we try to discover on this blog. This time I want to introduce you some of the gems of our major islands, real fairy tale regions the whole world envy us. I’m talking about Sicily and Sardinia Islands and their hidden gems.
SICILY
Let’s start from the magnificent Sicily, an enchanting land rich in culture, history and endless beauties and specifically Favignana, “the big butterfly on the sea” as it was called by a famous painter of the seventies. The main island and the center of the Aeganian Islands (Egadi), the island used to be known with various names such as Aponiana, Katria, Gilia, Aegusa. Far from Trapani just 9 miles it spreads for 19,38 square kilometers, it is 9 km long and 4 km wide and has very few inhabitants. Its peculiar shape is similar to a butterfly with open wings.
Thanks to its geomorphological structure the island offers both grottoes and beaches, so it is a perfect destination for the ones who love seaside holidays. Its crystal clear waters, fine and gold sand beaches like Cala Azzurra, Lido Burrone, i Calamoni; or suggestive bays characterized by little pebbles in Punta Lunga or the Faraglioni from which you could enjoy breathtaking sunsets of rare beauty with a sky painted with magic colors. You’ll be immediately struck by the coves ideal for snorkeling like the famous Cala Rossa boasting rock and sand set on a extraordinary sea that varies from the azure to the intense blue. Numerous the rocky areas to plunge in or the marine grottoes accessible via boat, for example Grotta dei Sospiri. But if relax is not enough for you there will be room also for aquatic sports like scuba diving to discover the splendid sea bottoms and the submerged world of the Aegadian sea.
SARDINIA
Now if you imagine to have a lovely boat, or just you can take a ferry, we can move towards the other amazing destination of our trip through Italian islands, Sardinia. This is a one of a kind part of our Country, a chapter apart with its own languages, traditions, territorial and cultural characteristics. Rest assured that once you have visited it you’ll fall in love forever. Sardinia has plenty of places to visit but we want to suggest you the Arcipelago di La Maddalena National Park. Offshore of the famous and exclusive Costa Smeralda it includes all the islands and islets within the territory: Caprera, Santo Stefano, Spargi, Budelli, Santa Maria and Rezzoli.
It is a protected geomarine national park and covers an area on land and sea of over 12,000 hectares and 180 kilometers of coasts with natural wonders and uncontaminated emerald waters. The scenario here is pretty fascinating and is all to be discovered rich of fantastic beaches, bright sand, coves and incredible colors. A gem to be visited is without a doubt Maddalena island where you will discover the ancient “borgo” of the fishermen, the singular churches and a little village that seems literally untouched by time with its old small shops. The area moreover includes some of the most beautiful beaches of the Mediterranean sea, among which the well-known Budelli island which characteristic color is due to the skeletons of very little animals taken to the ashore by the ocean currents.
