"The house and garden at Giagumona are a delight, being set on a quiet no-through road about ¼ mile from the main road. The very large garden is full of fruit trees - fig, olive, orange, lemon, plum etc. etc. which the owners are quite happy for you to eat. Figs & plums for breakfast! The garden is also full of birds, often heard if not always seen and a haven for ornithologists and nature lovers – as is the whole island. If all you want to do is relax and unwind then this is the perfect place.
However, Giagumona is ideally placed to visit the north of the island especially and further field if you have a mind to – which we can thoroughly recommend. There is so much to see and do in Sardinia, with thousands of years of history; fantastic fauna & flora; wonderful beaches; good food and fantastic hospitality. In fact there is far too much to list – look at a good guide book (available in most languages) or ask Andrea (the owner, who is very helpful).
Just a little flavour of Sardinia (a good map to take is by The Touring Club Italiano, Sardegna; ISBN 88-365-2828-7)
*Historical sites: Visit especially the Nuraghi (dotted all over the island) the closest ‘good’ one being S. Antine south of Sassari, just off the Calgliari road (N131). There are fantastic churches, Roman and Venetian remains, museums etc. etc. The Domus de Janus and similar Stone Age & megalithic sites are also worth a visit. Close-by there is an ancient site on the Porto Torres road. In the mountains between Alghero and Bosa there are murals on the walls in a number of villages, as well as in many villages in the Gennargentu mountains. There is just too much to list!
*Fauna & Flora: There are NO poisonous snakes in Sardinia and if lucky you may well see a snake. Bird life is abundant; we have seen Hoopoe, Sardinian Warblers, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Serin, Turtle Doves, Bee Eaters and all the usual birds in the vicinity of the garden. Elsewhere in the island we have seen Griffon Vultures, Peregrine, Black & Red Kites, Eleonora’s Flacon (plus many other birds of prey and a number of owl species), various Egrets, a Squacco Heron and Flamingos – to name but a few!
Any entomologist will be kept busy for hours by the abundant insect life; there are wonderful Swallowtail butterflies (and others) in the garden.
In spring the plant life is in full bloom with so many species it is impossible to list but we particularly enjoyed seeing the wild Asphodels, to name but one!
Mosquitoes: This year has been worse than usual due to the amount of rain that Sardinia had earlier in the year. Be prepared and have adequate supplies of insect repellent if you wish to sit in the garden of an evening. There are anti-mosquito devices in the house which appear reasonably effective if used appropriately."