Flora – European Traveler

Layers of Time, Living Traditions in Southwest Sardinia

Sardinia’s ancient past survives not only in rock-cut tombs and sacred sites, but is also celebrated through the food, wine, and traditions that shape daily life

Story and photos by Alison Ramsey

Sant’Antioco is Italy’s oldest urban settlement, but its ancient past remains embedded in the island’s living traditions. In the southwestern region of Sardinia, Italy, communities have long been drawn by strategic coastlines, seafood-rich waters, mineral resources, and fertile land in a biodiverse ecosystem. As Mediterranean cultures crossed these shores, they passed along traditions, traded tools and recipes, and introduced influences that are still evident today. The island’s archaeology is not only preserved in excavated tombs and museum exhibits—it remains visibly connected to everyday culture through the food and wine served at family dinners.

Ferruccio Barreca Archaeological Museum

In Sant’Antioco—an island off the coast of southern Sardinia, connected by a manmade isthmus—the Ferruccio Barreca Archaeological Museum is set up for thorough exploration. The museum is arranged by historical timepoint, so visitors can follow the route from Phoenician and Punic origins extending into the Roman era in Italy’s most ancient city, Sulky.

Museum guide points to exhibit model — Knowledgeable guide Matteo Piras walks visitors through exhibitions at the Ferruccio Barreca Archaeological Museum.

Displayed here are artifacts found in excavations that are still in progress at sites on the island, with relics from ancient settlements and necropolises. One exhibition shows items found in a Punic Age water cistern and includes a large bowl used for making couscous (a typical Tunisian meal). Evidence like this indicates the island’s layered historical cultures resulting from its unique waterside location and landscape have influenced cuisine.

**Tabarchin Cascà Indicates African Culinary Influence**

In Calasetta, the Tabarchin couscous called cascà is still traditionally made using hand-prepared semolina. Lines grooved into the sides of the bowl assist in breaking up the moistened, salted grain clumps to form spherical shapes. Made in large batches and cooked with vegetables and aromatic herbs, this couscous can be reheated as savory leftovers, with flavors intensifying for later enjoyment.

A family recipe of Calasetta couscous is served at the Tenuta La Sabbiosa winery.

Couscous ingredients are prepped for mixing.

Woman makes couscous in a bowl — Couscous ingredients are prepped for mixing.

Settlement Structures Give Clues to Earlier Lifestyles

The southwestern portion of Sardinia holds the ruins of many nuraghes (fortress-like buildings) and shows evidence of the existence of Phoenician settlements—some of the oldest on the island. The remains of important Roman and Medieval structures are also found here. Across all of Sardinia, there are 7,000 discovered nuraghi, with 50 on Sant’Antioco island itself. Although the Nuragic Age’s characteristic structures vary in size and format, the strategic locations of these buildings seem to indicate they served as political, economic, and administrative centers of control and protection of resources.

To touch ancient nuraghi monument stones from 1600 B.C., head to the 14-acre Nuragic complex of Seruci in the town of Gonnesa, one of the largest Bronze Age dig sites in Sardinia. Examination of the multi-tower nuraghe and numerous prehistoric artifacts found at this site indicate that the village included about 200 huts. Deposits of zinc, lead, and silver give evidence to the commercial and daily life of the settlement’s early inhabitants.

Stone archaeological structures on top of a hill

Grapevines Thrive From Ancient Roots

Protection of the land’s products remains important even today, as Sardinians work hard to retain the natural offerings provided by land and sea. Tenuta La Sabbiosa winery on Sant’Antioco has great respect and passion for the ancient Carignano vineyards the native soil and salty winds used to nourish year-round across the dunes. Having avoided Europe’s late 1800s phylloxera vine disease, these historic grapevines began to dwindle in the 1980s, as low yield and changes in the wine market slackened the wine-growing tradition. La Sabbiosa restored the centuries-old vineyards on their land, using traditional processing techniques combined with modern knowledge. The pure flavors and scents of their wines are unique in that they are a direct product of ancient, pre-phylloxera European roots and grapes grown seaside, in soil containing 99% sand.

Woman crouched beside grapevine plants — Through grafting original vines and hard manual work, the ancient flavor of European grapes is preserved in the roots at Tenuta La Sabbiosa winery.

Natural Cork Regenerates in Sardinian Ecosystem

On the uphill road to Fluminimaggiore and the restored Roman Temple of Antas, cork oak trees are prevalent at the high elevation. These trees mark another way Sardinia’s landscape continues to shape local craft and commerce, as the trunks’ distinctive outward-growing bark regenerates in layers, allowing it to be harvested and regrow without harming the tree.

Renewable and sustainable, natural cork is harvested by cork producers to bring to northwest Sardinia and sell to wine producers, jewelry makers, and traditional mask makers, extending the relationship between Mediterranean ecology and everyday material culture.

Cork jewelry at a gift shop — Jewelry and souvenirs made from cork are found at some gift shops on the island.

Roman temple ruins in a meadow — The Temple of Antas has been partially reconstructed using original stones and fillers to recreate the front columns and staircase, and the sanctuary sits in the middle of a meadow, at an elevation where cork trees thrive.

Salt Harvested From Lagoon Waters

At waterfront MuMa Hostel on Sant’Antioco, the onsite Museum of the Sea and Shipwrights showcases natural habitats of plant and animal species on the island, including those of the herons, egrets, gulls, and pink flamingos that lounge in the Santa Caterina lagoon. These lagoon waters feed the adjacent Sant’Antioco salt pans, which are among the most important in Italy and help meet culinary demands.

Flavorful Food From Flora

While hiking to archaeological sites for evidence of the past, acknowledge the unspoiled nature painting the hinterland. The pure air is filled with intense, aromatic scents of wild olive trees, prickly pear, wild lilies, chamomile, and myrtle. Although lovely to smell, this scrabbly brush that characterizes the Sardinian countryside is often waxy, dry, and bitter, so animals avoid them. To the enjoyment of many people, however, some of this vegetation from the Mediterranean scrub is used to create delightful food and drink.

Fruit from the myrtle plant is used to make a popular liqueur—mirto—served cold with desserts or after meals in Sardinia. The berries are steeped in high-proof alcohol for several weeks and mixed with simple syrup. The drink’s rich, sweet, and slightly bitter herbal flavor evokes the Mediterranean maquis—the dense shrubland typical of the region. Many households on the island make their own mirto or limoncello to have on hand for dinnertime and to serve to guests.

Table full of desserts and drinks — The dessert table at home restaurant Da Zia Pinuccia offers “ladies’ kisses” almond balls and pastries alongside chilled limoncello and mirto.

The fragrant branches of the myrtle plant are even used as a colorful garnish for plating suckling pig at home restaurant Da Zia Pinuccia. A family-style dinner at this 19^th-century house provides an immersive dining experience with traditional Sardinian recipes passed down from previous generations, using locally sourced seasonal ingredients and ancient flavors.

Dine on homemade bread, vegetables, and meats cooked in the wood-fired oven, all served on antique dishware with years of family history. For dessert, try the “ladies’ kisses,” an almond ball coated in sugar and wrapped in white paper with fringed edges—a popular sweet in the south of Italy.

Learn generational stories around the dinner table, mingle with other guests in the gorgeous greenery lined stone courtyard, and enjoy time in a beautiful, warm home full of cultural history and memories.

Prepare for lots of food and laughter around the table at home restaurant Da Zia Pinuccia.

Ancient Tombs—Waiting for the Afterlife

In terms of archaeological history, Montessu is one of the most important dig sites in Sardinia—due to its fascinating position along a moss-covered rockface and its significance in the study of prehistoric funerary rituals. The approximately 40 ancient cave-like tombs here, shaped with stone pickaxes, are called “fairy houses.” Often modeled after houses of the living, with multiple chambers, more than 3,500 of these are scattered across Sardinia, and legend says they belonged to tiny fairies who provided safe havens for the dead while they slept until passage into the afterlife.

Uncovered from the earth at Montessu have been artifacts such as obsidian, bronze, jasper, lead pieces for slingshots, etched coins, silver nails, and knives. Categorized necropolis finds from Montessu are displayed at archaeological museums in nearby Santadi and Cagliari.

At Montessu, a 124-step stone staircase leads to more than 40 prehistoric tombs set along a rockface. Climb inside Tomb 10 (right and left photos) and down the wooden ladder for a peek inside the hollowed-out formation.

A scenic forest climb at the nearby Pani Loriga archaeological site leads to similarly constructed tombs—with evidence the interiors were painted with pigments—and the remains of a Punic settlement. Hilltop discoveries include masks, jugs, amulets, bracelets, and charms. Also found was a terracotta kernos, an ancient vase with several small cups attached to its rim for the purpose of filling with resins, oil, food, and wine for ritual activities. The walk across these grounds reveals shallow pits in the dirt where wild boars burrow for roots.

Fairy tombs cut into the rocks at Pani Loriga were found to have been painted with pigments.
Fairy tombs cut into the rocks at Pani Loriga were found to have been painted with pigments.
Pani Loriga archaeological site shows evidence of early settlements in the form of artifacts and structural remains.
Fairy tombs cut into the rocks at Pani Loriga were found to have been painted with pigments.

Another intriguing peek into the past can be found at Sant’Antioco’s Hypogeum Village, often called “Is Gruttas” (the caves). This grouping of Punic tombs from the late 6^th and late 3^rd century B.C. was repurposed as makeshift homes for poor townspeople who lived there by necessity in 1700 and again in 1912. Offering a glimpse into prior, difficult daily lives, these rooms show where the poorest villagers once lived, with some making bags and crafts to sell to rich citizens.

The poorest classes in the district once lived in repurposed burial chambers at Sant’Antioco’s Hypogeum Village—tombs that are now set up with artifacts and furnishings to show visitors a glimpse of past life.
The poorest classes in the district once lived in repurposed burial chambers at Sant’Antioco’s Hypogeum Village—tombs that are now set up with artifacts and furnishings to show visitors a glimpse of past life.
The poorest classes in the district once lived in repurposed burial chambers at Sant’Antioco’s Hypogeum Village—tombs that are now set up with artifacts and furnishings to show visitors a glimpse of past life.
The poorest classes in the district once lived in repurposed burial chambers at Sant’Antioco’s Hypogeum Village—tombs that are now set up with artifacts and furnishings to show visitors a glimpse of past life.
The poorest classes in the district once lived in repurposed burial chambers at Sant’Antioco’s Hypogeum Village—tombs that are now set up with artifacts and furnishings to show visitors a glimpse of past life.
The poorest classes in the district once lived in repurposed burial chambers at Sant’Antioco’s Hypogeum Village—tombs that are now set up with artifacts and furnishings to show visitors a glimpse of past life.
The poorest classes in the district once lived in repurposed burial chambers at Sant’Antioco’s Hypogeum Village—tombs that are now set up with artifacts and furnishings to show visitors a glimpse of past life.
The poorest classes in the district once lived in repurposed burial chambers at Sant’Antioco’s Hypogeum Village—tombs that are now set up with artifacts and furnishings to show visitors a glimpse of past life.

Situated on a high plateau, the Archaeological Park of Monte Sirai is divided into three areas—the high-settlement, the necropolises (13 underground family tombs), and the open-air tophet, where the ashes of infants and stillborn children were buried in urns. Enter through the North Gate public area to see the Temple of Ashtart ruins and where a Nuragic tower and water tank were once erected. From here, appreciate a panorama view of the entire region, including the Archipelago of Sulcis comprising Sant’Antioco and San Pietro islands.

This house at the Monte Sirai hilltop settlement had an inner courtyard and five rooms.

With archaeological sites and sacred cultural complexes set against rugged, unspoiled scenery, Sant’Antioco and Sardinia’s southwest make their layered past feel unusually present—in tombs carved from rock, in salt drawn from lagoon waters, in pre-phylloxera vines, and in the food and drink still served at family tables.

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Spain’s Enchanting City of Flowery Patios

Medieval charm and floral beauty captivate visitors to Cordoba

Story and photos by Randy Mink

As you’re exploring the cobbled streets of this sun-kissed city in Southern Spain’s Andalusia region, it’s a smart move to escape the heat by stepping into a leafy courtyard festooned with flowers, draped in greenery and surrounded by thick, whitewashed walls. Harking back to Cordoba’s deep Arabic roots, these cool oases cast a magical spell.

Tucked into the largest urban historic center in Spain, the city’s trademark patios have always been a chief tourist draw. Architectural gems as well as horticultural havens, they mirror the tradition of cultivating flowers and plants introduced by the Moors when the Iberian Peninsula was ruled from Cordoba by Muslim emirs and caliphs. A respected seat of learning and artistic expression during its heyday in the 10th and early 11th centuries, Cordoba reigned as medieval Europe’s cultural capital, a city second in importance only to Constantinople. Christians, under King Ferdinand III of Castile, conquered Cordoba in 1236, ending five centuries of Muslim rule.

Tourists can take in the horticultural splendor on a tour of private patios in Cordoba’s San Basilio neighborhood.
Tourists can take in the horticultural splendor on a tour of private patios in Cordoba’s San Basilio neighborhood.

For two weeks every May, Cordoba celebrates its blooming courtyards during the Patio Festival (Festival de los Patios), an event held annually since 1921. About 50 private homes, competing for awards as the loveliest, open up their inner sanctums to the public—for free.

On my trip to Cordoba this past October, I was still able to view some private patios. In the San Basilio neighborhood, our group booked a tour (offered nearly year-round) that got us into the patios of five houses dating from the 16th to 18th centuries, a time when several poor families shared a communal courtyard. The common kitchen in some patios has been preserved and is on display. But the stars of the show are pots brimming with geraniums, impatiens, petunias, marigolds and other flower varieties, along with vines, shrubbery, rose bushes, and cascades of jasmine and raspberry-red bougainvillea. Orange, lemon, olive and fig trees also set the stage in these lush mini paradises, one of which is occupied by artisan shops specializing in handcrafted leather, ceramics, silver jewelry and perfumes.

FLORA: Blending Art and Nature

My October visit coincided with a relatively new cultural event that nods to Cordoba’s floral and botanical heritage. Called FLORA, the week-long, free-admission festival features five installations in public courtyards within walking distance of each other in the historic center. Using plants and other natural materials, five international artists vie for monetary prizes. We saw creations by competitors from Mexico, Brazil, the United States and Spain.

Bamboo canes and fountains in an art installation — Bamboo canes and fountains dominate the winning entry in FLORA 2025, an annual competition between international artists using plants and other natural materials to create large installations in existing patios in Cordoba.

FLORA 2025’s first-place winner was Wagner Kreusch, a Brazilian who fashioned a monumental structure out of green bamboo canes, fountains, a misting feature, and purple and white aspidistra flowers. Titled Rio Flotante, or “Floating River,” his entry wowed onlookers at Palacio de Viana, the estate of the aristocratic marquises of Viana until 1980. Now a major tourist attraction, the 16th century palace has 12 plant-filled patios, each with a story to tell, and rooms displaying collections of furniture, weapons, porcelain, tapestries and paintings.

Cordoba’s Historic Heart

Threads of Christian and Jewish history, intertwined with vestiges of Roman, Visigoth and Moorish rule, emerge from every corner of Cordoba’s UNESCO-recognized historic quarter, a tourist-friendly maze of narrow lanes snaking between white buildings adorned with iron-grillwork windows, doors and balconies.

city gate and ancient walls — This surviving city gate provides entry through the ancient walls of Cordoba’s historic center.

Practically all the city’s top sights lie within this easily walkable district, but it’s also fun just to wander and get lost in the labyrinth, where flower-decked patios, orange trees, and festive taverns and outdoor cafes typify the gracious lifestyle of Andalusia, the region that conjures up our most romantic visions of Spain. Within the old city walls, you’ll also find plenty of souvenir shops. A highlight for our group was a rousing flamenco show with dinner at El Jaleo, an intimate room where dancers electrified us with some thunderous stomping.

people walking down narrow street of shops — The intimate lanes of Cordoba’s historic center provide ideal settings for shopping, relaxing at cafes and just getting lost in medieval times.

Jewish Quarter

The medieval Jewish Quarter, or Juderia, is the historic core’s most atmospheric neighborhood, and its pleasures lay right outside the door of our hotel, the NH Collection Amistad Cordoba. Featuring flower-decked alleyways and patios, along with reminders of Jewish culture that flourished in Cordoba long ago, the quarter is home to the Synagogue, built in 1315. No longer used for worship, it’s the only Jewish temple in Andalusia to survive the Inquisition in 1492, when Jews were expelled from Spain or forced to convert to Christianity. Inside the small building you see Hebrew inscriptions, Arabic decoration and even a Cross (it was used as a church in the 19th century). For many years the Jews lived in harmony with the Muslims and some held prestigious positions in the government, professions and arts. Toledo claims Spain’s other two remaining medieval synagogues.

town street with people sitting at cafe tables — Cordoba’s atmospheric Jewish Quarter offers souvenir shops, cafes and a cozy medieval feel.

Nearby, in a beautifully restored 14th century house, Casa de Sefarad is a museum that tells the story of the Sephardic Jews in Iberia and other Mediterranean lands (a group differentiated from the Ashkenazi Jews of Central and Eastern Europe).

At the Bullfighting Museum (Museo Taurino), right across the plaza from my hotel, I learned about some of Cordoba’s greatest matadors. Though much of the exhibit text was in Spanish only, the two short audio-visual presentations provided an option in English. With a wrap-around screen, one film puts you right in the middle of the ring with a ferocious bull.

Cordoba’s Crown Jewel: The Mezquita

First-time Cordoba visitors make a beeline to the Mezquita, a former mosque that has been a church since the 13th century. Rather than destroy the mosque, the Christians decided to modify it. In fact, the church—complete with an elaborate main altar, a giant nave, an organ, religious artwork, tombs of important citizens and intricately carved Cuban mahogany choir stalls—appears to have been plopped smack into the middle of the mosque. The cavernous Mezquita (Spanish for “Mosque”) was once the second largest mosque in the world after the Great Mosque in Mecca.

A seemingly endless forest of columns and arches mesmerizes visitors to the Mezquita, a mosque turned church. It is Cordoba’s most important tourist sight.
The Mezquita’s bell tower was built over the mosque’s minaret around 1600.
The Mezquita, once the second-largest mosque in the world, has been a Catholic church since the 13th century.

The Mezquita’s most dazzling sight is the endless forest of marble, granite and onyx columns topped with red-and-white-striped, horseshoe-shaped double arches, Islamic style; many of the pillars were recycled from Roman and Visigothic times. Fashioned over the centuries from a jumble of architectural styles, the dimly lit Mosque-Cathedral, as it’s known, is vast, mysterious and hard to wrap your head around. The columned arcades seem to march on forever, melting into infinity. There is no other building like it.

I wanted to climb the Mezquita’s bell tower (built around 1600 over remains of the mosque’s minaret), but tickets for the day were sold out. So, I crossed the Guadalquivir River via the 2,000-year-old Roman Bridge, a wide pedestrian walkway, and took in panoramic views from the rooftop terrace of the Calahorra Tower, a crenellated 1369 structure that houses a museum of Andalusian culture.

The rooftop terrace of Calahorra Tower affords fine views of Cordoba’s historic center, the Roman Bridge and the Guadalquivir River.
The Roman Bridge, a wide pedestrian walkway, spans the Guadalquivir River.

The bridge and Mezquita are a short walk from Alcazar de los Reyes Cristianos, residence of the Christian monarchs. The palace-fortress currently is closed for renovations, but I enjoyed walking through its terraced gardens, admiring the plantings and statuary. One sculpture depicts Christopher Columbus being received by King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella, sponsors of his 1492 voyage to the New World.

three tall statues in a garden — The Alcazar Gardens in Cordoba feature a sculpture of Christopher Columbus being received by King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella.

flower pot with garden and trees — The terraced gardens of the Alcazar palace/fortress are a must-see in Cordoba.

When it comes to destinations in Andalusia, Cordoba often gets short shrift, as Seville and Granada tend to get the most attention. But Cordoba should be on every traveler’s radar. Indeed, this overlooked city merits a day or two for a good looking over.

For more information log on to www.spain.info/en/destination/cordoba/

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Gardens of the World: A Celebration of the World’s Most Amazing Gardens

From Monet’s idyllic water garden in Giverny, France, to the terraced gardens within Jewel Changi Airport in Singapore, this book introduces and explores places that uniquely celebrate the beauty of nature. Inspirational, iconic, and innovative gardens from all over the world have been selected for inclusion in this volume and are organized by theme: Carefully Curated, Mindful Spaces, Wild and Wonderful, Urban Oases, and Innovators and Influencers.

Pages from the Wild and Wonderful segment of the book include photos of the tumbling wisteria, rambling roses, wildflower-filled meadows, and sparkling crystal river that compose Giardini di Ninfa in Italy. Known as one of Italy’s most romantic gardens, lush foliage drapes over the crumbling ruins of medieval town Ninfa across a span of 20 acres. Pillaged by mercenaries and ransacked into ruin in 1381, the formerly vibrant town that Pope Boniface had bestowed upon the Caetani family became an “overgrown ghost town” until the overgrowth was cleared and some unstable structures restored in the early 20^th century. This transformation, initiated by Prince Gelasio Caetani and his mother, included creating canals and a stream from once-stagnant, swampy waters. Other family members stepped in to design and maintain the gardens, add favorite plants and perennials, and set into motion the growth of a dreamy naturalistic garden gracing history-filled, ancient ruins.

Learn about unique landscape elements, native plant species, horticulture design inspiration, and history, and discover features and flora of 67 intriguing gardens that are yours to explore.

For more DK Eyewitness titles, and further information about “Gardens of the World,” please visit https://www.dk.com/us/.