Entertainment In Olbia

A great way to begin the evening is to have a drink in one of the bars on Piazza Regina Margherita. Here you can watch skaters and other street performers then head for one of the many restaurants on offer. Then finish the evening with a cocktail at one of the cocktail bars or dance the night away at the beachside disco.

Eating out

Olbia offers a large variety of restaurants, trattorias and cafs. Many can be found on Via Aldo Moro. Most places serve traditional Sardinian food. However, there is also a good choice of fresh seafood, several pizzerias and even a Tex-Mex restaurant.

Local cuisine

Sardinian cuisine is strictly linked to the seasons and its secret lies in the quality of the ingredients and the simplicity of its dishes. It offers visitors a triumph of distinctive flavours, with each area boasting a vast variety of local specialties, all prepared according to ancient traditions and customs. Local pasta specialties include gnocchi - sardo in ragu sauce (potato dumplings in tomato sauce); culurgionis (a Sardinian ravioli filled with potato, cheese, mint and garlic) and homemade pastas served with sea urchins or grated fish eggs.

Among the most popular meat dishes are porceddu (roast suckling pig) and cordula, braided lamb's entrails roasted on a spit. With the sea so nearby, seafood features prominently on the menu. Try cozze e vongole, a mussel and clam duet that consists of mussels with saffron on white polenta or stockfish with thyme and homemade pasta. In the winter months, why not warm up with a bowl of zuppa gallurese, a soup made from dried durum wheat and sheep's cheese baked in the oven and served with broth.

Theatre and music

There is no theatre as such in Olbia. However, the local music scene is very vibrant. Gruppo Folk Olbiese on via Fontanesi offers traditional Sardinian music performed in authentic folk costumes. Groups of singers play antique instruments and their spirited performances draw an enthusiastic crowd. Il Garage on via Barbagia is an alternative for the younger crowd. The trend here is rock sung in the Sardo tongue. If that's not enough, there are also activities such as body painting, graffiti and mural painting to be enjoyed while listening to the songs.

Shopping

Corso Umberto begins at the harbour and continues to the town centre and train station. It is lined with upmarket shops offering clothes, shoes and jewellery. Viale Aldo More also boasts several fashion boutiques as well as sport and shoe shops. These shops all close for lunch from 13:00 to 16:30, but are open until 20:00 in the evening.

Tuesdays and Saturdays are market days in Olbia. Visiting the open-air market is a great way to observe the local lifestyle. Stalls offering flowers, fruit, vegetables, cheese and sausages are in abundance as well as typically Sardinian handicrafts.

During the Christmas season, the local Sardinian bagpipe players come down from the hills and play Sardinian songs, in front of malls and shops, for money. It's beautiful music. At this time, the Sardinians also buy their own type of fruit cake. The shopping centers sell many different varieties and prices range from cheap to quite steep; try some, they are delicious.

The big shopping centres are located on the edge of town and are open all day. Theres Auchan, near the airport, and Iperstanda, north towards the Costa Smeralda. Here you can find food as well as fashion and sports products in addition to electrical appliances.