Sardinia

With miles of unspoilt coastline and clear blue seas, a wild mountainous interior, a culture with a profound respect for the past, and a climate that is blessed with long, balmy summers, Sardinia is the perfect escape from the frenetic pace of the modern world.

Rugged, ancient, rich in tradition and legend, Sardinia is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean, with a seductive landscape and heritage. From the dramatic rocky promontories and white-sand beaches of its shimmering coastline, to its green, untamed highlands, the island offers a way of a life whose essence has remained unchanged over the centuries. Sardinian culture is rooted in nature and the simple, eternal pleasures of life – family, sun, sea, wine, food – while its people are warm, welcoming and down to earth.

The island has beguiled invaders, travellers and writers for centuries. Its rugged simplicity seems to touch something deep in the human spirit. The writer D.H. Lawrence described it as ‘out of time and history’ and ‘like freedom itself’. Its story stretches back into prehistory: the island was home to one of the most mysterious Bronze Age civilisations in Europe: the Nuragic. Their beautiful ruined stone settlements can still be seen all over Sardinia. Many colonisers have come and gone over the centuries – Phoenicians, Romans, Vandals, Byzantines, Pisans, Genoese and Aragonese – and left their mark, but Sardinia has always retained its own dignified and indomitable personality. Its friendly, approachable people are fiercely proud of their identity, culture and Sardu language – the closest living language to spoken Roman Latin.

Sardinia’s distinct character has inspired every aspect of Seven Senses, which draws on its ancient traditions and profound sense of place to create your luxury eco-retreats.