Barbagia! There are few names in the world that entirely capture the spirit of a place, but Barbagia is one. Originally, it was the Roman poet Cicero’s description of this sinewy chunk of central/eastern Sardinia that had refused to submit to Rome, and thus comprised barbarians. Yet, even today, it aptly summarises the stubborn, piratical flavour of this region: adorned with a celebrated coastline – yet fretted with wild, forbidding mountains.
Perhaps coincidentally – or not – this is also the emptiest region of Italy, with the fewest inhabitants per square kilometre. And in a world of angry over-tourism, that is an attraction in itself. Which is why, right now, I am basking like a sun-drunk lizard on the quietly lush Barbagian coast.
