This Mediterranean island is giving 15 of its villages a €38 million makeover

If sun-soaked beaches, Mediterranean cuisine and a go-with-the-flow lifestyle are calling you, then Sardinia might be your answer.

The Italian island just announced that it will invest €38 million in the revival of 15 historic villages, with a focus on drawing travellers inland, and breathing life back into communities that have been steadily depopulating. 

The decision was made by Sardinia’s Regional Councillor for Tourism, Crafts, and Commerce, Franco Cuccureddu, and the mayors of the 15 villages.

The plan, titled ‘Tourism in the Villages’, will give each village around €2.5 million to improve infrastructure, accessibility and hospitality. The goal is to lean into Sardinia’s well-adored status quo – long lunches of local cuisine, local wine, and new walking routes that wind through seaside landscapes.

‘This memorandum… finally allows Sardinia to fully position itself in the village tourism market, which is a rapidly growing market in Europe and, I would say, globally,’ Cuccureddu said to euronews. 

He added: ‘It also supports the two key strategies the Sardinian region is pursuing: decentralisation, aimed at easing pressure on coastal areas, which account for around 70 of the island’s 377 municipalities, and seasonality, by promoting a tourism product that can be enjoyed year-round.’

So what villages get the glow-up? Bosa and Castelsardo are on the list, along with Aggius, Atzara, Carloforte, Galtellì, Gavoi, Laconi, La Maddalena, Lollove, Oliena, Posada, Sadali, Sardara and Tempio Pausania.

Timing-wise, it makes sense. As travellers seek more authentic experiences and off-the-beaten-track destinations, Sardinia’s inland villages offer just that. Think rural roads, seaside strolls, family-run trattorias, and warm locals. 

🏩 Check out Time Out’s roundup of the best hotels in Sardinia. 

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