Shopping in Sardinia

Cork, reed and wool are the island’s main raw materials, traditionally used by rural workers to make furniture and household items. Today these items have become desirable handmade objects and can be found in the small shops that line the streets in the towns and resorts around the island. Look out for those that feature the signature design of a Lapwing, a symbol of Sardinia.

A particularly good buy is jewellery. Jewellery has a particularly strong link to local customs and celebrations, with Sardinian families traditionally passing down rings, pins and buttons through the generations. Today you can buy modern interpretations of these symbolic objects which are usually round in shape. Look out also for the fine ‘filigree’ work , a skilled jewellery-making process that uses thin pieces of wire which are soldered together to make intricate designs, as well as jewellery in burnished silver or gold, or coral red.

Knife collectors can find ‘arrasojas’ knives with their distinctive horn handle and steel blade, the best known varieties of which are the ‘Sa Sa Arburese Pattada’ knives.
And of course we cannot forget the many local delicacies which should be eaten and drunk both during your holiday and at home afterwards.

Start with the local bread such as, ‘pane carasau’ and ‘su pistoccu’, best enjoyed with salami and the legendary pecorino cheese, or the lighter goats’ cheese. Follow with ‘malloreddus’, a Sardinian handmade gnocchi, or ‘fregula’, a local pasta that resembles cous cous. Seafood is a popular local product with Carloforte Tuna or Cabras Roe available to buy in jars ready to add to spaghetti dishes.

If you have a sweet tooth, then a great buy is ‘torrone sardo’ based on honey, almonds and nuts. There are also several varieties of almond biscuits which make great presents such as macaroons, ‘bianchini’ and the coloured ‘gueffu’. Good local wines include the red Canonau and the white Vermintino, whilst Mirto is a well known local liqueur made from the indigenous myrtle bush. There is also a local Grappa called ‘File ferru’.