Browse below our collection of photos from around Sardegna, Italia (Sardinia, Italy). We have photos of the gorgeous Sardinian beaches, Cagliari, Alghero, Baia, Bastione, Nuraghi, Porto Cervo, Tavolara Island, Tramonto a Palau, historic roman ruins, and many more sights from around this marvelous island.

Sardinia is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea (after Sicily). The capital of Sardinia is Cagliari. Sardinia is part of Italy, with a special statute of regional autonomy under the Italian Constitution. Sardinia is one of the most ancient lands in Europe. It was visited during the Palaeolithic period, but wasn’t inhabited permanently by humans until much later, in the Neolithic age, around 6,000 BC.

The first humans to settle in Gallura and northern Sardinia probably came from the Italian mainland and, in particular, from Etruria. Those who populated the central region of the island around the salt lakes of Cabras and S. Giusta may have arrived from the Iberian Peninsula by way of the Balearic Islands. Those who founded their settlements around the gulf of Cagliari were made up of several peoples.

Around 1000 BC the Phoenicians began to land on the shores of Sardinia with increasing frequency. Setting sail from the Syrian coast, on their trade routes as far afield as Britain they needed safe anchorages for the night or to weather a storm. They soon became important markets and after a time real towns, inhabited by Phoenician families who traded on the open sea and with the Nuragic Sardinians inland.

In 509 BC, because the Phoenician expansion inland was becoming ever more menacing and penetrating, the native Sardinians attacked the coastal cities held by the enemy, who, in order to defend themselves, called upon Carthage for help. The Carthaginians, after a number of military campaigns, overcame the Sardinians and conquered the most mountainous region. For 271 years, the Carthaginian or Punic civilization flourished alongside the local culture.

In 238 BC the Carthaginians, defeated by the Romans in the first Punic War, surrendered Sardinia, which became a province of Rome. The Romans developed the coastal cities and founded new cities like Turris Lybissonis and Feronia. These cities were populated by Roman immigrants. Roman domination in Sardinia lasted 700 years and was often opposed by the Sardinians from the mountains who, nevertheless, adopted the Latin language and their civilization.

If you would like to view more fan pictures of Italy, or would like to post some pictures of your own, make sure to visit our Italy Photo Gallery.

The vast majority of our photos come from fan submissions, so if you have photos you would like to share, please let us know by sending us a message using our Contact Us page. We always appreciate receiving new images from Italy fans like yourself.

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You can view more pictures of Sardegna, Italia (Sardinia, Italy) in the Italian Pride Photo Gallery