Beyond the buzz of the coast, cook and author of For the Love of Lemons Letitia Clarke explores the island’s quiet interior, where slow hospitality and a deep-rooted sense of place offer a richer way to eat, stay, and travel
Most of Sardinia’s best food is to be found in people’s homes. When travelling in France as a teenager, I searched in vain for restaurants serving Elizabeth David-esque homemade sausages cooked to perfection, silky duck rillettes and cheeses that fled at the touch of a knife. It’s a similar story in Italy. The best cooking is rarely the gourmet fare of restaurants, but the comforting cucina della casa. If anything, Sardinia provides a concentrated version of the nationwide Italian obsession with all things fatti in casa – ‘made at home’.
It’s something I was reminded recently, at a picnic. Only after I’d presented my contribution of a small hunk of (bought) cheese which had been moulding quietly in my fridge and a few sad tomatoes, I was abashed to discover every single person had brought enough homemade frittata, focaccia, quiche, crostata and cake to feed the entire group of 20-plus people. One couple pulled out an entire leg of homemade prosciutto and began slicing it on the spot. Another group shared around spoonfuls of homemade sheep’s milk ricotta with homemade honey. A demonstration of the pride that is a Sardinian’s larder.
The scene isn’t reflective of the whole island. It is often said that there are two Sardinias: The Coast and The Interior. The former is more international, more developed, more modern; whereas the true grit of the Sardinian soul resides inland. Here, the same scraggy sheep graze the same pastures, the timeless olive stands silver and unmoved for centuries. Yet there is a slow sort of tourism emerging which is taking root and growing like an olive sapling. This tourism is so slow, so small, that the practitioners do not even have websites or (the horror!) maintain an Instagram page.
Mario Cesare, (the sister b&b to the aforementioned Domu Antiga), has but two rooms, and until recently you wouldn’t have been able to find it online. Giulia, (the daughter of Domu Antiga’s owners and sister of Samuel – who runs a nearby mini dairy making raw sheep’s milk cheeses) bought this simple mud-brick dwelling from the postman, who had been left it by the local artist and recluse Mario Cesare, who lived within the grounds, without modern amenities.
The house has been beautifully restored, with only the very basics necessary for comfort. The artist’s sketches and old paints are everywhere (you’ll even find his old boots and spectacles in the corner). Sleeping here in the whitewashed bedroom under antique Sardinian linen sheets is to truly take a step back in time. To top it all, breakfast is served on an old wooden table under an ancient fig tree, looking out over the sun-scorched plain.
Nothing stays secret forever though. This interior region of the island is traversed by the famous trenino verde, a small train that has been running since the days of DH Lawrence’s famous tour of Sardinia, and which is now a tourist attraction. It travels through the wild hinterland of central southern Sardinian, crossing viaducts over giant lakes and cutting through miles of mediterranean macchia. It’s not an area to pass through at speed though but to linger, stay a while – pull up a chair at a kitchen table and drink-in the unchanging stories.
In a world chasing the next big thing, there’s something quietly radical about these places — where the food is still made by hand, the welcome is heartfelt and time moves to the rhythm of the land. Sardinia’s interior doesn’t shout to be heard. It waits, patiently, for those who know where to look. And when you’re seated beneath the stars with a plate of warm ravioli and a glass of homemade wine, you’ll realise you’ve found it.
(Hardie Grant, £28)
Hidden behind a sky-blue door in the hamlet of Gergei, Domu Antiga is a family-run b&b where time seems to slow. Inherited by Samuel Lai from his grandmother, the house has been lovingly restored with salvaged furniture, antique tapestries and a deep sense of place. Samuel’s mother and sister prepare seasonal Sardinian dishes — wild boar stew, pecorino ravioli, homemade cakes — while Samuel makes fresh sheep’s milk ricotta for breakfast. The courtyard blooms with wildflowers, and breakfast is served under a rose-draped veranda. It feels less like a hotel, more like staying with old friends who really know how to cook.
domuantiga.it, Double room from £195 per night
The sister B&B to Domu Antiga, Mario Cesare is run by Giulia — Samuel’s sister — who knows the island intimately and can steer you toward its hidden gems. Set in the quiet village of Gergei, this former artist’s home has been sensitively restored, blending rustic charm with quiet romance. Mornings begin with birdsong, freshly brewed coffee, and homemade cakes — breakfasts here are a work of art.
Via IV Mori, 08030 Gergei CA, Italy
Double room from £147 per night
A much-loved relic of a 19th-century manor, this four-room retreat has been meticulously restored by archaeologist Ignazio Mura using traditional materials — think cork insulation, exposed beams, and sheepskin throws. Breakfast is a feast from the owners’ farm: cured meats, sweet bakes, homemade jams and breads. Traditional lunches and dinners can be arranged, or stroll to nearby La Taverna del Conte.
Via Fra Nicola, 26, 09020 Gesturi SU
Double room from £195 per night
Set in the Trexenta hills, this 17th-century coaching inn once hosted D.H. Lawrence and his wife Frieda — then guests of Calogero and Dondina Lunetta. Now run by their great-grandchildren, the five-room retreat still radiates family warmth. Expect sandstone walls, an honesty bar, and long, leisurely breakfasts that make you feel part of the fold.
Via Roma, 10, 09040 Mandas SU
Double room from £170
Set in the quiet village of Riola (but near to Su Murruai) this is a family run hotel which has an old world charm about it. Set in a leafy courtyard breakfast is under a magnificent weeping wisteria, there is something of an old family home about this place, with lots of areas for lounging about and reading.
Via Roma, 14, 09070 Riola Sardo, Oristano
hotellucrezia.com, doubles from £120
A stone’s throw from Domu Antiga, this winery cultivates various indigenous grapes using biodynamic practices (the only Demeter-certified wineryin Sardinia). Using traditional methods (from draught horses to amphora aging) Olianas Winery represent Sardinia’s rich viticultural heritage.
£12.75 per person for a tasting of three wines, lunch from £16.50; olianas.it
The enterprising Lei family have quietly transformed the landscape of Gergei – a quiet town in the island interior. Samuel is the eldest son and, while his parents run Domu Antigu, he diversified into cheesemaking and set-up a mini dairy in the same village. It’s a beautiful place to visit – set in a walled garden where you can try a selection of small batch cheeses following ancient methods and made using unpasteurized milk from his own flock.
sinnosformaggi.it
If you are staying in a town for a period of time it’s well worth seeking out the local market. Even if there is no weekly market there are sure to be a few regular stalls (often by the road side) where people sell local fruit and vegetables or simply a couple of crates outside a doorway or van, or even in the boot of a car.
Oristano hosts a market every Tuesday and Friday which sells everything from slippers to chickpeas. The number of stalls varies depending on season and weather conditions, but the old faithfuls stay true and there are always at least three or four good fruit and vegetable stalls, a cheese and salami man or two and a fishmonger. There is also a vintage tablecloth stall where I waste all my money.
An association that runs farmer’s markets which usually happen once or twice a week in the towns. Worth a browse of their website to see where you can buy local farm produce.
a month-long series of cultural events, running throughout September, held in various venues across Oristano. Expect choral performances, folk music and traditional Sardinian dance.
An annual event held in Cabras (10km further north on the coast), celebrating the region’s renowned mullet roe. (18-20 September 2026)
Oristano’s historic carnival. A medieval equestrian tournament featuring masked horsemen performing daring feats, rooted in 15th-century traditions. (15-19 February 2026)
