Autumn is in full swing and even on the island you can tell that the seasons are changing. Beyond the fact that some people here tend to wear their winter attire from the beginning of September even if the thermometer shows 30C, there are some characteristics that make this season special.
The touristy season slowly dies away as the number of flights from the airports decrease, the hotels and beaches get less and less crowded except for the few adventurous that keep on going (many of whom tend to be German or Scandinavian).
Above all I guess the most important aspect of Autumn on the island is the many festivals organised in the inland villages that host thousands of guests from all over the island. They are typically organised in accordance to a religious occasion such as a patron saint or catholic festivities such as the day of the dead (called in Sardinian ‘Su Prugadoriu’ translated literally the purgatory) or some in honour of the local produce of the season such as the chestnut festival (in Aritzo).
The second aspect which is characteristic is mushrooms. In the woods all over the island mushrooms grow wildly and they are fairly easy to find even just a 20min drive away from the city centre. Many people sell them on the street and even restaurants feature them as seasonal specials in their menus. Of course if one goes mushroom picking, an obligatory step is to post pictures of the day’s catch on Facebook together with at least 20 hashtags.
The other great thing about autumn on the island are chestnuts that are readily available roasted to perfection sold on the the streets where people pass every evening.Locals start selling them from September all the way to December.
For more information on the festivals search for ‘Autunno in Barbagia‘ if you are confined to travelling by public transport there are also express coaches chartered especially to go from Cagliari to the different villages following the festivals.