Dos and Don’ts When in Sardinia 11/12/2023 – Tags: How to behave in Sardinia, how to drive in sardinia, How to get around in Sardinia, When to eat out in Sardinia, Where to eat in Sardinia
Here are a few things you might want to know before you come to Sardinia!
Don’t call a Sardinian, and Italian.
This is an island that has been invaded by multiple civilizations: The Phoenicians (1000 b.C.); the Carthaginians (600 b.C.); the Romans (238 b.C.); the Vandals (476 A.d); the Byzantines (534 A.d.), the Saracens (705 A.d.), the Marine Republics of Pisa and Genova (900 A.d.); the Kingdom of Aragona (1324), and so on.. So as you can see we have a melting pot of cultures that is second to none!
Even if politically we are a part of Italy as a country, Sardinians feel like they are different, with unique traditions, food, hospitality, and beliefs.
Do: Refer to a Sardinian as a “Sardo”.
Don’t make silly hand gestures when pretending to talk Italian.
I see many people who try to pronounce a few words and while attempting to “impress” a local, they do the hand gesture that involves touching your thumb with all the fingers of the hand. Nobody does that unless it’s a specific situation (which I am going to explain another time). You will immediately be identified as the tourist who’s “trying really hard”.
Do: Act naturally and use conventional gestures as used in your country.
Don’t refuse food or drinks.
Generally, in Italy, turning away food is impolite, even if a person isn’t hungry. The same rules apply in Sardinia, where, especially in small towns it’s almost rude to refuse offered food or drinks from a local.
Do: Just accept it politely, 9 out of 10 times it will be delicious!
Don’t pour drinks with the back of your hand
Never pour a drink with the back of one’s hand facing the glass itself. In Sardinia, this is part of local superstition, and the locals believe that drinks should always be poured with the back of the hand facing (up) away from a glass. This comes from an ancient belief that if someone wanted to poison you, they would do it by putting a substance in their ring and pouring it in the glass when the hand was turned towards it.
Do: If you are in an awkward position and it’s hard to reach the glass, just stand up and it will be easier to pour the “correct way”.
Don’t always follow the speed limits.
Speed limits are sometimes exaggerated or misplaced, they haven’t been updated since the 60s when cars had drum brakes and couldn’t stop! I am not saying that you have to be Michael Schumacher, but since most of the roads are just two lanes, and the traffic is high, you will end up creating a caravan of slow-moving vehicles in the heat of the summer. Everyone will try to pass you creating additional dangerous situations.
Do: Use common sense and go with the flow.
Don’t pay for a coffee with a credit card.
Credit card or debit card fees are high in Italy. An Espresso is about 1,20€ (as to this year 2023), cheap as dirt, and consider that if you order it you can sit at the bar’s table for as long as you want, nobody will ask you to leave even if people are waiting to be seated. So give the business owner a break and don’t make him have to pay extra commission to the bank.
Do: Always keep some cash in your wallet for minor things and everybody will smile at you!
Don’t be upset if you’ll find closed shops from 1 pm to 4 pm (it’s siesta time).
Yes, we love to take a power nap after lunch. Recent studies say that a small nap during the day reduces general fatigue, increases attention, improves performance and memory, boosts mood, and improves general heart health! It’s no coincidence that Sardinia is one of the few Blue Zones on the planet.
Do: Plan ahead if you need to buy something in that timeframe of the day.
Don’t expect to have dinner at 6 am.
In Sardinia we dine late, some times as late as 11 pm! This aspect probably comes from the Spanish culture, they are known to be late diners. Dining is not only a moment of nutrition but foremost a social event: there is a lot of talking and interacting with family, friends, colleagues, and sometimes meeting your next-table neighbors!
Also, when we eat out, nobody will rush us to get to the “bill”. At 5 or 6 pm, most people are still at the beach, and the day is way too long to go to bed with an empty stomach.
Do: Go for an “Aperitivo” at about 6:30 pm. It’s a “pre-dinner” tradition where you have drinks and some snacks aside. This will help you reach 8 pm without having hunger pangs. Warning: you’ll be tipsy by the time you sit at the restaurant!
Don’t put cheese on pasta with seafood.
Italians share a robust connection with food and possess clear-cut beliefs regarding acceptable and unacceptable practices. Engaging in certain behaviors with food is an absolute taboo in their culture.
This is something you should never do, period.
Do: put some grated “bottarga” (traditional Sardinian dried fish eggs) on it, you’ll thank me later.
Don’t order a cappuccino after dinner.
An Italian would never order a cappuccino after noon, that’s a big no-no. We only drink it in the morning.
Do: After lunch or dinner we usually order an espresso, which can be a “macchiato”, this means the addition of a drop of whipped milk.
Don’t rely on public transportation.
Sardinia is a big and complicated island, its landscape changes dramatically from high mountains and forests to deserts, rocky terrains, hills, and hard-to-reach urban areas. Covering all towns and beaches or archaeological sites with busses or trains would be pretty much impossible. Also consider that several hotels/B&Bs that you could be staying in, may be located in the countryside.
Do: plan to rent a car, a scooter, or at least an e-bike.
Don’t think you can easily drive from one side of the island to the other as you would do elsewhere.
The amount of nature on this island is amazing and fortunately, most of the land is not urbanized. Most roads are narrow and curvy, and that’s what makes this island so unique and beautiful to explore. However, you may not be used to covering 200 km on a two lane-road, and this takes much more time than you think.
Do: Add an extra 30% driving time and depart in advance.
Don’t take away any sand, rocks or shells.
There has been a lot of debate in the past years about this topic as many tourists were found with little “souvenirs” in their suitcases when leaving the island. Most of our beaches are not formed by rivers carrying sand to the sea, but on the contrary, they are made of eroded rocks mixed with calcium carbonate, deposited by the degrading of the shells (this is why the sand is in some places extremely white) throughout millions of years. So unless you want every beach to be “closed to the public” such as the Pink Beach, avoid filling your pockets with it!
Do: When on the beach, pick up all the plastic, and dump it in a trash can near you. Leave sand, rocks, and shells where they are, you will have a great excuse to come another time in the future and you will save yourself thousands of dollars worth of fines!
Follow these simple steps and you will blend in like a true local!
Further readings about Sardinia:
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Top 10 things to do in Sardinia