How far is Sardinia from the peninsula in Italy?
Southern Italy (Italian: Italia Meridionale) or the Mezzogiorno (Midday) generally refers to the southern portion of the continental Italian peninsula and Sicily, historically forming the Kingdom of Two Sicilies plus the island of Sardinia. It encompasses the modern regions of Basilicata, Campania, Calabria, Apulia and Molise, which lie in Italy’s south, and Abruzzo which is located in central Italy and the islands of Sicily and Sardinia. Some would also include the most southern and eastern parts of Lazio (Sora, Cassino, Gaeta, Cittaducale, and Amatrice districts), which historically were part of the southern kingdom. The Istituto Nazionale di Statistica (ISTAT) uses the term Southern Italy but excludes Sicily, which it groups with Sardinia as Insular Italy; this is the same grouping used for European parliament elections. The term Mezzogiorno first came into use in the 18th century and is an Italian rendition of meridies (Latin for ‘south’, because of the sun’s position at midday in
Small enough to be classified as an island but big enough to be a universe unto itself, Sardinia lies about 120 miles west of the Italian peninsula. Its coastline is probably Europe’s most spectacular. Its waters teem with fish and shellfish. Its broad valleys turn into golden oceans of wheat in summer. Its rugged mountains, pocked with caves, are home to large flocks of sheep that feed on pungent wild herbs and produce a cheese your palate will never forget. Nestled into its silent olive groves are some of the continent’s oldest archeological remains, dating back to 1700 BC. Its people speak a language incomprehensible to all other Italians, celebrate more saints’ days than anyone else in the nation, and love to dress up in elaborate costumes at the drop of a finely-embroidered hat. But Sardinia is not for the faint-hearted. In summer, the heat can be blistering. Winter winds are some of the most vicious in the Mediterranean. Hotels and restaurants can be either outrageously expensive
