Typical products and souvenirs of high handicrafts to buy in Sardinia

From Sardinian pecorino to woven baskets: here are all the specialities you can take home

Sardinia is a land of unspoilt, wild coastlines, breathtaking coves with crystal-clear water and enchanting landscapes. And Sardinia is also a land of good food and renowned wine, where tasting traditional food and wine dishes also becomes a real travel experience, from which you can take home, upon returning from a stay on the island, some of the most famous and well-known local products. The vastness of Sardinia and the characteristics of each of its territories, from the north of the island, through the towns in the centre and down to the extreme south with Cagliari and the island of Carloforte, is well represented by the many gastronomic and handicraft souvenirs on offer.

Those who stay in Sardinia cannot fail to admire and perhaps buy objects made of cork: characteristic and easily found in any shop, especially those in the coastal resorts, they are produced by local artisans who, from the raw material extracted in the north of the island, mainly in the Gallura woodlands of Calangianus and Tempio Pausania, create containers for dishes, trays, coasters and small objects.

Artigianato Pasella

The Pasella craft shops, one of the best known, have a wide selection of these largely handmade objects. As well as woven baskets, which are characteristic and very special, can be bought in souvenir shops, along with traditional Sardinian masks, reproduced in some cases even in miniature to be easily transported. They tell of an archaic history of the island, made up of fairies, witches, figures with demonic and mythological features. Taking them home is a bit like taking a piece of a Sardinian fairy tale with you.

Inevitable in almost every jeweller's on the island is the filigree, whose history and significance of gold jewellery is rooted in myth. There are many legends that tell of the origins of these jewels. The most famous and renowned one tells that the Janas, the fairies who lived in Sardinia in the pre-Nuragic era in the Domus de Janas, worked with precious stones and jewellery, weaving threads of gold and silver between them. At the Rosas Jewellers in Olbia, it is possible to find many types of highly sought-after and certified jewellery.

Pecorino sardo (ph. Dario Garofalo)

From objects to food: Sardinian pecorino cheese is inevitable on restaurant tables and easy to find in any grocery shop. But to go in search of those produced at zero kilometre, one need only frequent the many markets organised along the coast. In San Pantaleo, a village in the municipality of Olbia just a few kilometres from Porto Cervo, the appointment is every Thursday. Here, in the stands set up in the church square, you can find a wide range of food and wine products, from cheese to honey, passing through pane carasau, the renowned mullet roe both whole and grated, and fruit and vegetable compotes. Also in San Pantaleo, the Sa Domo e Farra shop, open every day, has a wide selection of local products.

So does Insula Sardinia experiences, the shop that has a refreshment point, in the Marina of Porto Cervo. Here, you can buy the best food and wine products from Sardinia and find a showcase of the most beautiful creations of Sardinia's designers and master craftsmen. If your stay on the island is over and you have not had time to buy products in the various locations, the Kara Sardegna shop inside the Olbia Costa Smeralda airport is a very good place to shop for Sardinian things, from foodstuffs to handicrafts such as carpets, tablecloths, and Sardinian ceramic tableware.