A Week in Sardinia (6/7)

 

These pictures were taken while touring the north half of the island of Sardinia in November 2005.

  

 

 

The church of San Giovanni di Sinis is Sardinia's second oldest, dating back to the 5th century AD. This is the front of the church. To see the back, move your mouse over the image.

We found the church very peaceful in November. But the first weekend of September is a lot noisier, as that's when local young men race from this church barefoot to Cabras, the nearest town 8 kilometers away, bearing the statue of San Salvatore aloft to reenact its rescue from Moorish raiders centuries ago.


 

 

 

 

Inside the church of San Giovanni di Sinis, it was striking how thick and, in parts, mossy the walls were.

Just to to the left of the main entrance, there's a font. Move your mouse over the image to see it in close-up. Like the church as a whole, the font is very old and both ornate and simple.

 

 

 

 

 

This is the archaelogical site at Tharros. Behind me are the Roman remains of a port and city first founded by the Phoenicians of modern-day Lebanon in the 8th century BC, who were evicted by the Punics from Carthage in modern Tunisia two centuries later.

All three civilisations chose to settle here because Tharros combines a sheltered harbour facing east into the bay of Oristano, with vantage points across the open sea. Head west by boat, and you won't reach shore until Menorca, in Spain's Balearic islands.

 

 

 

 

 

You can see one of the columns remaining from the Roman era, and further back still is the Capo di San Marco, a lonely headland - particularly on this chilly but luminous November afternoon - which is the northern limit of the bay of Oristano.

 

 

 

 

 

Mark and I are in Tharros's arena, finally getting the joke from a rather awful 1st century Roman stand-up comedian. They still stage plays here today. But it's just not the same without the lions.

Eighth century BC Phoenicians weren't the first to settle Tharros. Behind the hillock are remains from Sardinia's indigenous Nuraghic civilisation whose ancient towers are found across the whole island.

CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE THE JOURNEY

Return To Home Page