Sardinia

I was in Alghero about 8 years ago. I really liked it, it's a nice, small, cozy town. Not much of a party atmosphere, more for relaxing. There's a cave nearby worth seeing. Sardinia is somewhat different, many people want more autonomy/independence from Italy, but it's not violent like their northern counterparts. They have their own language, Sardinian, though everyone speaks Italian as well. Note that for historical reasons, many in Alghero actually speak Catalan.

Your other questions I can't answer. It wasn't very expensive as far as I can remember.

>>1209813
>How different is Sardinia from mainland Italy?
it's not

>>1209813
I am told it smells really good. Not even kidding.

I've never been to Mainland Italy, but I understand Sardinia is more rugged and much less densely populated.
Alghero is nice. Drive down the coast to the town of Bosa; the drive is beautiful and the town itself is just so typically Italian.
At a mid-range restaurant you can get an entire pizza and ichnusa beer for maybe 12 euro.
I don't remember how much booze was in stores, but I do remember fancy local wine was pretty cheap.

>>1210079
It does smell nice. Half the plants are aromatic herbs. I used to go hiking there a lot and I would just run around my campsite picking wild onions, garlic and herbs to throw in soup.

>>1209813
It's different from mainland Italy, especially from a cultural point of view. I mean, people speak italian and sardinian, eat italian food and sardinian specialty foods, but sardinian tradition is somewhat different from the rest of Italy and most of the island's don't even feel italian

>>1210261
The island's inhabitants*

>>1209813
Try Cazu Marzu, the best cheese of that region.

>>1210266
Aldo, best seafood in Italy

>>1210267
Fuck, also

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Thanks for all the answers. It seems like Alghero is a pretty calm and relaxing city. Are there any nightlife at all in the city? The beaches around the city seems really good

Is May/June a good time to visit? What are some good places to visit in order to see historical and cultural buildings? One anon said Bosa was a nice town for a traditional Italian feeling, are there any other places that is recommended to visit?

How well do people speak english? Will I be able to communicate with people outside of the typical tourist shops or should I try to learn the weird catalan/italian dialect?

>>1210261
Does anyone actually speak Sardinian? Isn't it the same situation with Irish where a few redneck towns just speak it out of stubbornness?

>>1211135
Wow imagine trying to hold onto your own culture, what stubborn assholes

>>1211149
Cymro detected.

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Since you people have already started discussing nationalism, do Casa Pound, Forza Nova or some other Italian nationalist groups have any presence on Sardinia?

>>1211135
Actual sardinian here.
People don't really speak it anymore especially on the coast. It's somewhat an extra language we use sometimes when we want to express a thought. In the central part of the island, however, it's more common for people to speak it, especially at home, with grandparents.

>>1211341
As far as I know: yes, but they are not really strong. Sardinia is a very calm place. Apart from some refugees and asylum seekers who spend their time in camps outside cities, we have close to 0 immigration.
The reasons behind our will of independence is based mainly on the fact that we feel "more island" than sicily, so not represented in or heard by the local government in Rome. Of course we have our typical food and traditions (completely different from the mainland), but still that wouldn't be a reason good enough to be independent from a state that's actually supporting us 9/12 months.

>>1211063
As far as I know you can find a bit of nightlife in Alghero: there's a university, so some students will probably be around, but not that much. May/June could be ok for the temperature, but I'd pick late june to really enjoy the beach and a bit of nightlife.

Cultural buildings: there's one thing we're really proud of and you should visit. They're called Nuraghi: basically a very old castle-shaped building. There's not a lot to see per se, but it's connected to the early history of the island. They were built by a local population called Shardana which lived in Sardinia around 2000 b.C.
Also, the ruins of Tharros might be nice.

Bosa: nice city. As far as I can remember also great beach.
Other places: I'm from the west coast so I'd recommend also Is Arutas beach and S'Archittu beach.

English: good luck with that :D We all speak italian. If you speak spanish, that might help you in some cases. If you want to get some information and you're on your own, try and ask young people (someone older than 20 should be ok. Older people might not speak it, younger people may just point you to the wrong direction just forbthe for the lulz).

If you have any other questions, feel free to ask

>>1211349
I guess it's a bit similar to Crete who feel different from Greece but not enough to actually justify separating completely? Good to hear that you haven't suffered so much from the immigration crisis. It seems like Sardinia is a pretty calm and nice place

>>1211353
Thanks a lot for the answers! Is the Catalan Spanish dialect the most spoken language in Alghero or is it Italian? I'll probably go in late May since the temperature looks like it'll be alright by then. I don't like it if it's too hot so around 20c+ daytime is perfect. I'll go with some friends who like bathing and laying on the beach but I'm personally more of a history and culture person so It's good to hear that there are interesting historical places to visit

And also, are there any specific sensitive topics I should avoid bringing up when talking to the local people? I don't really know anything about Sardinia, or Italy in general, so I don't want to risk offending the people by saying something stupid

>>1211353
How similar is the grammar of Sardinian to Italian?
If I do the Duolingo course in Italian, and then learn all the Sardinian vocabulary, would I find myself speaking Sardu?
There are no good resources in English for the language is why I ask.

>>1211356
Don't call sardinians sheperds or sheepfuckers. Generally don't talk politics with strangers in italy. Soccer and women are predictably the best conversation topics.

>>1211471
You know what, I've been to Sardinia twice, seen the whole country, and I never saw a single sheep. The sheepfucker thing must be historical I guess.

>>1211471
Alright, thanks!

>>1211356
It's very calm. Keep in mind 2 things though:
1) there are some immigrants especially in Cagliari or Sassari, the 2 major cities. However we are kind of racist (not in the "you're shit because you're different" way, it's more a way of thinking: if you're black -> you're poor)
2) sardinia is not a rich region and it's an island. It's not a big deal most of the time, but 1 hour by plane just to get to Rome it's something you need to keep in mind

In Alghero the most spoken language is definitely Italian, don't need to learn Catalan. If 20+ degrees is what you're after, then I think the end of may/beginning of june might be perfect for you.

As for the topics: no, we're actually pretty open minded to different opinions. And if you're a tourist, you won't have problems. However, as you would do in any other place: don't complain about what you see, we are super sensitive about what's bad on the island.
Also what
>>1211471
said is true. Go for the football topic: if you don't know them, look for Gianfranco Zola and Gigi Riva

>>1211358
Pretty similar, but the vocabulary is different. Sardo is an actual language (not a dialect) and we're extremely proud of it.

>>1211587
Is the tapwater safe to drink, and can you flush down paper in the toilet? I know some islands have pretty bad infrastructure in that regard.

>>1209813
I was in pittulongu and it was one of the best trips i've ever had
it is between golfo aranchi and olbia

>>1211638
also the people who lives there are the nicest ever
and they love the native swede lol ;)

>>1211589
Tap water? Yes, it's safe.
Paper in the toilet? Yes, go for it.

>>1211638
That part of sardinia is really nice both for beaches and hiking.

>>1211640
We're nice with who we know otherwise we are pretty cold.
As for the love for native swedes:
1) Blonde people are extremely uncommon
2) We grow up with the stereotype of Sweden as a country where everything works
3) Nice when we know someone, cold when we don't...we're basically the swedes of the Mediterranean :D

Also funnily enough, I just moved to Sweden, planning to find a job in Luleå or a place like that

I've hitchhiked in every country in western Europe, and Sardinia was the easiest out of any of them.
Except when I got stuck in Olbia; fuck all those rich people.