Arrive in Cagliari on suggested flights and make your way to the hotel. Renaissance Tours or your travel agent can assist you with your flights and other travel arrangements, including travel insurance (a condition of travel), a private hotel transfer and accommodation before or after the tour.

In the late-afternoon, join your tour leader Steven Miller and fellow travellers for a welcome briefing followed by dinner.

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This morning, embark on a walking tour of Cagliari – the largest city in Sardinia and the capital of the island which DH Lawrence, arriving here in the 1920s, compared to Jerusalem: “strange and rather wonderful, not a bit like Italy.” Begin at the white limestone Bastion of Saint Remy, offering panoramic views over the city, and wander through the medieval Castello district’s narrow lanes, where old artisan workshops still operate. See the Duomo, restored in the 1930s to replace its Baroque façade with a more authentic medieval style, as well as the city’s original Bell Tower. Then, enjoy a guided tour of the Sardinian Archaeological Museum, the most important museum of the Nuraghic civilisation.

The afternoon is at leisure to further explore Cagliari at your own pace.

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Today, enjoy an excursion to the town of Nora, once one of Sardinia’s most powerful cities and an important stop on major trade routes. Founded by the Phoenicians in the 8th century BC, Nora reached its peak during the 1st-2nd centuries AD under Roman rule, serving as caput viae (starting point for all island roads). The city began declining in the 5th century after the Vandal conquest. Following the Arab conquest of Carthage in 698, Nora was reduced to a military fort and was eventually abandoned in the 8th century. Its remarkably preserved ruins feature a grand theatre that once seated 1,000 spectators, thermal baths and elegant mosaic-adorned noble houses.

Return to Cagliari in the mid-afternoon. The remainder of the day is at leisure.

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Depart Cagliari and travel to the village of Nebida on the west coast of Sardinia, home to the majestic Laveria Lamarmora, a former mineral washing plant. Built in 1897, this impressive stone structure cascades down the cliffside in a series of elegant arches, perfectly integrated into the dramatic coastal landscape. The panoramic terrace commands extensive views over the 133-metre-high Pan di Zucchero rock formation.

Then, travel inland to the charming town of Oliena, nestled at the foot of the impressive Monte Corrasi limestone massif.

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In the morning, explore the childhood home of Nobel Prize winner Grazia Deledda in Nuoro’s historic Santu Pedru district. This beautifully preserved museum showcases the writer’s personal and literary achievements, including her Nobel Prize.

Then, discover the island’s rich cultural heritage at the Costume and Ethnographic Museum, home to an impressive collection of traditional dress, jewellery and bread-making artefacts across ten themed rooms.

This afternoon, explore Orgosolo, famed for its 150 striking murals. These artistic works, initiated in 1969, chronicle political struggles, daily life and international issues. They have transformed the village streets into a canvas of social expression.

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Depart Oliena for the magnificent Nuraghic site of Santu Antine, also known as ‘The House of the King’. The three-story structure, constructed from massive basalt blocks, features an intricate network of corridors and chambers. Its central tower, which originally rose to a height of 25 metres, now stands 17.5 metres high.

Arrive in the charming town of Alghero in the mid-afternoon. Later, embark on a boat cruise to the breathtaking Neptune Caves, dramatically located at the base of the towering Capo Caccia cliffs.

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After a talk by Steven, enjoy a walking tour of Alghero, one of Sardinia’s most picturesque medieval towns, where Catalan-Gothic architecture meets Mediterranean charm. The town was occupied in the 14th century by the Aragonese and Catalans, who built seaside ramparts and sturdy towers encompassing narrow, winding cobblestone streets with honey-coloured palazzi. The dialect spoken here is closer to Catalan than Italian.

The remainder of the day is at leisure.

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Depart Alghero for the small port town of Santa Teresa Gallura on the northern tip of Sardinia. Along the way, pause at the Basilica della Santissima Trinità di Saccargia, the most important Romanesque church on the island. Construction was completed in 1116 in local black basalt stone and white limestone, in a style recalling the Tuscan Romanesque. Abandoned in the 16th century, the church was restored and reopened in the early 20th century.

Leaving Sardinia, travel by ferry across the strait of the Tyrrhenian Sea to Bonifacio, Corsica, where striking limestone cliffs rise 70 metres above the Mediterranean.

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Following a talk by Steven, enjoy a walking tour of Bonifacio, which has managed to preserve its ancient character thanks to its stunning geological situation. Some believe that the giant cannibalistic Laestrygonians described in Homer’s Odyssey may refer to Bonifacio’s early inhabitants (7th century BC). Bonifacio fits Homer’s description of an excellent harbour closed in on all sides by an unbroken ring of precipitous cliffs, with a narrow channel in between.

The afternoon is at leisure before dinner at a local restaurant.

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Depart Bonifacio and travel north to Ajaccio. On the way, stop in the hilltop town of Sartène and wander through the narrow cobbled streets of its old quarters.

Continue to the prehistoric site of Filitosa, unearthed only in 1946. Enjoy a light picnic lunch before discovering a magnificent array of menhirs and life-size stone figures of ancient warriors, many with human faces whose features have been flattened by erosion.

Arrive in Ajaccio, Corsica’s elegant capital, in the late afternoon.

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After a talk by Steven, discover the historic centre of Ajaccio on a walking tour. See Place Foch, once the site of its medieval gate, and Maison Bonaparte, the birthplace of Napoleon, as well as the cathedral.

Then, enjoy a guided tour of Palais Fesch, established by the maternal uncle of Napoleon Bonaparte, Cardinal Joseph Fesch, with the intention of accommodating an Arts and Sciences Institute. Before he died in Rome in 1839, Fesch donated more than a thousand art works from his collection to his hometown. The museum features the country’s second largest collection of Italian paintings after the Louvre and showcases works by Botticelli, Titian and Veronese.

The remainder of the afternoon is at leisure to further explore the museum at your own pace and stroll along the harbour promenade.

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Depart Ajaccio and travel up Corsica’s west coast, an unspoilt landscape of mountainous red and grey granite outcrops separated by huge swathes of pines and eucalyptus trees.

On the way, discover the stunning calanques of Piana, a UNESCO World Heritage site where dramatic red granite cliffs plunge into the Mediterranean.

Arrive in Calvi in the late afternoon.

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This morning, depart Calvi for the Mariana archaeological site in Lucciana, which presents numerous vestiges from the Roman colony founded around 100 BC to the 12th-century Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta, also known as La Canonica. The archaeological museum nearby, designed by award-winning architect Pierre-Louis Faloci and opened in 2021, showcases exquisite artefacts, including ceramics, glassware, mosaics, jewellery and daily life objects spanning from Antiquity to the Middle Ages.

Continue to Bastia, arriving in the late afternoon.

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Enjoy a morning tour of Bastia’s Vieux Port, with its faded charm of narrow streets and alleys, where washing still hangs from ancient, shuttered windows in the tall, often almost crumbling buildings, dating largely from the 18th century.

After a free afternoon, celebrate the conclusion of the tour with a special farewell dinner with Steven and fellow travellers.

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Tour arrangements conclude after breakfast.

If you are returning home today, make your way to Bastia-Poretta Airport for suggested flights to Australia or New Zealand. Renaissance Tours or your travel agent can assist you with your flights and other travel arrangements, including any additional nights’ accommodation either before or after the tour and travel insurance (a condition of travel).

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