This bare, rocky island 10km off the coast owes its strange name (Stomach-ache Island) to the seasickness that sailors often suffered while navigating its windy waters. Now uninhabited, it was home to a primitive nuraghic settlement and later used by Saracen pirates. The only people who now visit are holidaymakers keen to search out the beaches on its eastern shores. Maremania is one of several operators running boat tours from Putzu Idu between June and September.
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
10.66 MILES
The choppy blue waters of the Golfo di Oristano provide a magnificent backdrop to the ruins of ancient Tharros. Founded by the Phoenicians in the 8th…
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23.04 MILES
Just off the SS131 north of Oristano, the sanctuary at Santa Cristina is an important nuraghic complex. The nuraghic village's extraordinary Bronze Age…
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16.28 MILES
Oristano’s elegant outdoor salon sits at the southern end of pedestrianised Corso Umberto I. An impressive, rectangular space, it comes to life on summer…
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17.64 MILES
This landmark Romanesque church is one of Sardinia's architectural jewels. Dating to the early 12th century, it sports a severe sandstone exterior…
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12.47 MILES
Cabras' cultural highlight is the Museo Civico, and the real superstars here are the so-called Giants of Monte Prama, a series of towering nuraghic…
23.7 MILES
Commanding huge views, this hilltop castle was built in the 12th and 13th centuries by the Tuscan Malaspina family. Little remains of the original…
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23.53 MILES
Housed in an elegant 19th-century townhouse, Bosa's main museum showcases local arts and artisanal crafts. Each of the three floors has a different theme…
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Chiesa di Nostra Signora di Regnos Altos
23.68 MILES
Enclosed within the walls of the Castello Malaspina, this humble but hallowed 14th-century chapel is decorated with an extraordinary 14th-century fresco…
Nearby Western Sardinia attractions
5.72 MILES
One of the peninsula's most famous beaches, Is Aruttas is a pristine arc of white sand fronted by translucent aquamarine waters. For years its quartz sand…
5.96 MILES
Backed by a motley set of holiday homes and beach bars, Putzu Idu's beach sits in the north of the peninsula. It's a picturesque strip of sand that's…
8.14 MILES
A few kilometres out of Tharros, and signposted off the main road, the Oasi di Seu is a veritable Eden of Mediterranean flora. Once you’ve navigated the…
9.08 MILES
In the centre of the village, the 17th-century Chiesa di San Salvatore stands over a stone ipogeo (underground vault) dating to the nuraghic period. This…
5. Chiesa di San Giovanni di Sinis
10.22 MILES
Built from softly worn sandstone, Chiesa di San Giovanni di Sinis is one of the two oldest churches in Sardinia (Cagliari’s Basilica di San Saturnino is…
6. Area Archeologica di Tharros
10.66 MILES
The choppy blue waters of the Golfo di Oristano provide a magnificent backdrop to the ruins of ancient Tharros. Founded by the Phoenicians in the 8th…
7. Torre di San Giovanni Watchtower
10.7 MILES
For a bird’s-eye view of Tharros, head up to the late-16th-century Torre di San Giovanni watchtower, occasionally used for exhibitions. Here you can look…
11.06 MILES
About 3km south of S'Archittu, just outside the town of Torre del Pozzo, tracks lead off the SS292 to Is Arenas beach, which at 6km is one of the longest…