Founded by the Phoenicians around 770 BC under the name of Solki, the island where Villa Rose stands carries three thousand years of history.
Few travellers realise it as they lay their towel on Spiaggia Grande: they are sunbathing on the oldest town in Italy. Sant'Antioco was founded by the Phoenicians around 770 BC under the name of Solki, well before Rome. Three thousand years of history surface everywhere, from the necropolises to the Punic remains.
The island is linked to Sardinia by an isthmus and a Roman bridge, so you arrive by car without noticing you have changed islands. The town of Sant'Antioco lines up its seafront, its twelfth-century basilica and its archaeological museums, whose collections tell the story of Phoenician Solki better than any guidebook.
Calasetta, the Tabarkin town
At the other end of the island, Calasetta tells a more recent but equally singular story. Its alleys with blue-and-white facades were laid out by families who came from Tabarka, on the Tunisian coast, in the eighteenth century. Tabarkin, a Ligurian dialect, is still spoken there, and the local cuisine keeps that taste of travel.
It is in this setting that Stéphanie, the owner of Villa Rose, grew up: school in Solki, summers in Calasetta. Staying here means living in a piece of this history rather than just visiting it. Her full story can be read on our hosts page.
What to see, and how to plan your day
Allow a day for the town of Sant'Antioco and its archaeological sites, half a day to wander Calasetta between the port, the Savoyard tower and the markets, and keep an evening for a sunset at Le Saline, a stone's throw from the villa. From the port of Calasetta, the Delcomar ferry reaches Carloforte, on San Pietro island, in about thirty minutes.
To plan your visit, the regional tourism board publishes comprehensive pages on Sant'Antioco and the Sulcis, and on arrival Jocelyne will share the addresses you will not find in guidebooks.
