Sant'Antioco

The town of Sant’Antioco with its 11,730 inhabitants is situated on the island of the same name, lying opposite the south-west coast of Sardinia. It is joined to the mainland by a man-made isthmus or causeway.
It is one of the oldest Phoenician towns in Sardinia and was founded in the 8th century B.C. Because of these ancient origins Sant’Antioco can quite rightly be seen as an authentic open-air museum as well as being an important holiday resort with beautiful beaches.
You can pay a visit to the interesting Local History Museum (Museo Etnografico) and archaeological exhibition situated inside the Monte Granatico building. You should also go to see the Punic underground necropolis and tophet, a place sacred to the Phoenicians, who worshipped the gods Baal and Tanit. Until quite recently, it was thought that the tophet was a place where the first-born of noble families were sacrificed, whereas it is now believed to be simply a cemetery for children, where their ashes are kept in funerary urns.
Not far from the Basilica di S. Antioco, on top of a hill, you come to the Fortino Sabaudo (Savoy Fort), known as “Forte su Pisu” and built in the 1700s.
The most important church is the Basilica di S.Antioco, built in 1102 on the remains of an Early-Christian building. Inside the church there are a series of catacombs where the patron saint of the town, a Christian Martyr, took refuge and was subsequently buried.
The most popular of many religious events in the town is the Festival of S. Antioco in honour of this martyred Christian doctor, who came from Mauritania. It is always held 15 days after Easter and in the procession the Saint is accompanied by a parade of people in Sardinian costumes from all over Sardinia, by traditional “traccas” (decorated carts, drawn by oxen) and riders on horseback.
The Island of S. Antioco is covered in typical Mediterranean vegetation, including rockrose, Phoenician juniper, myrtle and dwarf palms. S. Antioco is also a renowned bathing resort with many famous beaches like Cala Lunga, Co’e Quaddus and Maladroxia.