SARDINIA & CORSICA
SEPTEMBER 2027
dOMINIQUE MILLAR
*** Preliminary Itinerary ***
Discover Sardinia and Corsica’s Bronze Age towers, giants’ tombs and neolithic standing stones, their fascinating medieval histories and proudly independent modern identities
OVERVIEW
In ancient times the ‘wine dark sea’ of the Mediterranean was a great centre of civilisation. Bronze Age sites in Corsica and Sardinia show evidence of trade with Etruria, Cyprus and even Scandinavia, and after the Roman period the Middle Ages brought colonisation by Pisa, Aragon, Genoa, Piedmont and France.
This tour offers an encounter with two fascinating Mediterranean islands, linked by geography but with proudly distinct histories, cultures and languages. Commencing in Cagliari, we explore Sardinia’s deep past: Bronze Age towers or nuraghi and the villages that grew around them, sacred wells linked to enduring fertility cults, and “giants’ tombs”. A sustained interaction with the Phoenicians and Romans is still evident at Tharros and Fordongianus, and the long period of Aragonese rule can be felt in Catalan-inflected Alghero. We also consider the island’s modern identity, witnessed by its vibrant murales or street art, its folk practices, and the unique “mare e monti” food culture created by fisherman and shepherds.
Crossing by ferry to Corsica, we trace intriguing links between the islands in the neolithic standing stones of Filitosa and at Roman Aléria. The islands also share the Pisan Romanesque but, as we appreciate in Bonifacio and Bastia, Corsica was more profoundly impacted by the Genoese. This can still be seen in its Baroque fortifications and streetscapes, a diet that embraces chestnut flour, and even the Corsican language. The landscape is simply breathtaking, from the red rocks of the Calanques near the UNESCO-listed Scandola Nature Reserve to the interior’s extraordinary granite mountains outside Corte.
The tour concludes in Ajaccio, where we appreciate the advent of Napoleon and the modern struggle for independence on both islands.
TOUR LEADER
Dominique Millar is an Australian art historian, educator and artist. He trained for six years at Sydney’s Julian Ashton Art School and has Masters degrees in late sixteenth-century Italian art and in art curatorship. Dominique has worked at museums and galleries including the Powerhouse Museum, Sydney, and has exhibited his work at a number of Australia’s oldest commercial galleries. He regularly delivers a diverse range of art history and practical fine art courses for the WEA Sydney, regional galleries, independent art schools and art societies.
Dominique leads our Exploring Corsica tour in September 2026.
Highlights
Get to know Sardinia’s extraordinary Bronze Age, from the nuraghic towers that dot the landscape to sacred wells and giants’ tombs
Appreciate the impact of colonisation on Sardinia and Corsica, from the Pisan Romanesque to Catalan Alghero and unique linguistic identities
Enjoy visits to sites in stunning locations, including the turquoise waters of Punic Tharros, flamingo-filled lagoons and Corsica’s red rocks or calanques
Discover unique Mediterranean food cultures: bottarga and Cannonau wine in Sardinia, Corsica’s fresh seafood and Genoese chestnuts
Understand the modern struggle for independence and its effects, with a day focused on Napoleon in Ajaccio
Questions?
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