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Ardia di Costantino Sedilo, Italy - 05 July 2016

Where

Getting There

Getting There

Buses
nearest bus station:
Sedilo: Via Carlo Albert

shuttle bus:
Stazione Arst Cagliari

Other
nearest airport:
Cagliari Elmas (CAG)

harbor:
Cagliari Cruise Terminal

Getting to Ardia di Costantino Festival

  • Ardia di Costantino horse races are held at the church/sanctuary San Costantino just outside Sedilo.
  • Sedilo village is in the Province of Oristano on the island of Sardinia.
  • The festival site is 100+ km from the island capital of Cagliari.
  • Oristano is about 50 km from Sedilo - one of the nearest cities with accommodation.

Air

Sardinia has three international airports:

  • Cagliari Elmas (CAG)
  • Alghero-Fertilia (AHO)
  • Olbia Costa Smeralda (OLB)
  • Fly direct from Italian cities & the UK, Spain, Germany & cities in Scandinavia.

  • Local flights connect Cagliari & Olbia.
  • Tortolì (TTB), a regional airport, has flights that connect to Olbia.

Car

Rent a car in Cagliari and drive north to Sedilo.

  • Cagliari - Sedilo: take highway 131 "Carlo Felice". Drive north to South Sedilo crossing.
    It’s about 100 km from Cagliari to Sedilo.
  • Alghero - Sedilo: drive southeast about 70 km.
  • Sassari, Oristano, Olbia to Sedilo: take highway 131 "Carlo Felice"to North Sedilo crossing.

Train

  • Sardinia has a limited railway system. Train travel is slow. 
  • Sedilo has no train station.
  • Olbia - Golfo Aranci 
  • Olbia - Ozieri – Sassari 
  • Olbia – Ozieri – Macomer 
  • Olbia – Ozieri – Oristano
  • Olbia – Ozieri – Cagliari

Bus

Buses are the best way to get around Sardinia.

  • ARST is the main Sardinian bus Co.
  • Cagliari Stazione Arst - Piazza Matteotti.

Cagliari Airport Bus Stations

  1. outside arrivals - only til 11:30pm.
  2. outside departures - only til 10:30pm.
  • From Cagliari-Elmas Airport take line 747 to Sedilo.
    The journey takes about 2 hours.

Sedilo Bus Stop

  • The bus stop in Sedilo is on Via Carlo Alberto.

Walk

  • From Sedilo town walk to the Church of San Costantino (Chiesa di San Costantino / Santu Antinu.)
  • It’s about 1.5 km, a 20 min. walk, from Sedilo Piazza Costantino to the race site at the church.

Ferry / Cruise

  • Tirrenia Ferry to/from: Civitavecchia - Caglairi or Olbia/Golfo Aranchi.

Tickets

—   


options:
Free events, VIP options
Prices in the table are quoted in EUR
2-day pass0Parade from Village Church / Piazza - FREE.
2-day pass0Races at Church of San Costantino - FREE.
Ardia di Costantino Tickets
  • It’s FREE!
Ardia Parade
  • Ardia parade starts at the Sedilo village church/piazza about 6pm.
  • It makes its way to the sanctuary around 7pm. This is when the races begin.
Ardia Races
  • Choose viewing spot at Church of San Costantino an hour before race.
  • There are races on both days with similar schedules.
Ardia Eats
  • Suckling pig, and other tasty eats & drinks are for sale - not free.

Ardia di Costantino

Ardia di Costantino

Ardia di Costantino icon

Sedilo, Italy

Chiesa di San Costantino
40.165624, 8.936427
type of festival
culture
rituals & traditions, holiday
other events
sports: competitions, extreme sports
start Tue, 05 July 2016
end Thu, 07 July 2016

Programme
ADVERTISING

Ardia di Costantino: Sacred Mayhem

Ardia di Costantino is a spectacle of brawn & bravura where mock cavalry re-enact Constantine’s victory over Maxentius in a perilous test of testosterone, part race part Christian rite, as 100+ horseback riders cascade down a rocky slope at break-neck speed, kicking up dust clouds, encircling a 16th c. stone church & receiving clerical blessings while defending red, yellow & white “pandela” flags. Reverencing Il Grande’s victory at the Battle of Milvian Bridge, his celestial cross vision: “By this sign you will conquer”, and for ending pagan intolerance of christianity via the Edict of Milan, Ardia revives history for thousands of pilgrims & audacious thrill-seekers at Chiesa di San Costantino near the tiny town of Sedilo in Sardinia Italy.

About

Ardia di Costantino: Sacred Mayhem

Ardia di Costantino may be the most thrilling, dangerous & jaw-dropping religious festival you’ll ever see. A heady mix of sport & ritual with horseback riders thundering down a steep hill, kicking up pebbles and dirt, while adrenaline-charged locals blast gunpowder into the air, and one chosen rider (chosen by...god) roleplays the part of Emperor Constantine, flanked by 2 flag-wielding iscortas, being chased by mock rival Maxentius in the Battle of Milvian Bridge.  Even watching Ardia inspires terror as dare-devils tumble down tight bends, circling 7 times around the Santuario di San Costantino (chiamato Santu Antinu – an ancient church + sanctuary) while receiving priestly blessings, then funnelling through a narrow arch and gaining victory by reaching the dry fountain before foes– meaning christianity is safe for another year!

Il Grande

Constantine-venerating villagers wait years, even decades, for the honour of risking broken limbs to play the testosterone-charged role of Costantino il Grande.

La Festa

Riders, villagers and pilgrims gather, after the first event, for an almighty festa with suckling pig slowly roasted in wood-burning ovens, char-braised freshwater eel brochettes (smothered in oil), vernaccia di oristano white wine (shared by all from a single glass) and homemade grappa (grape skin brandy) – Sardinia’s answer to moonshine! Then it all starts over in the morning.

L’Ardia Storia

Ardia brings history to life by recreating the legend of Constantine the Great (for many Sardinians: Saint Constantine), who led his troops into battle, and upon seeing a flaming cross inscribed in hoc signo vinces, engaged Maxentius on Milvian Bridge and was victorious, subsequently issuing the Edict of Milan putting an end to christian persecution at the hands of pagan rivals. The Ardia storia is a story relived every year by tens of thousands of locals, pilgrims & travellers seeking a jolt of adrenaline, on a perilous prominence above an ancient church sanctuary in the small inland village of Sedilo in the province of Oristano on the island of Sardinia.

Ardia is storia, sanctity, sacred sport + debauchery in Sardinia!

contributor: Joji Sakurai
published: 24 February 2016
updated: 26 June 2016
Age: Family, an event with no age restrictions, but things can get rather wild!
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Details

Details

General: best in the world
Ambiance: outdoor, rural
Features: bizzare, rituals, debauchery, partying, adventure, street parties

Ardia di Costantino Details

  • Ardia races take place above & around the Church of San Costantino in the small village of Sedilo.
  • Sedilo is in the Province of Oristano on the Mediterranean island of Sardinia.
  • The festival site is 100+ km from the island capital of Cagliari.

Sardinia Flavor

  • Sardinia is best known for its white-sand beaches, outstanding seafood, vibrant nightlife and the Costa Smeralda where Silvio Berlusconi hobnobs with the likes of the Aga Khan. But for locals, the heart of the island is, well, its heart – and Sedilo is right in the smack of it.
  • Sardinians look inland toward pastoral traditions, rather than outward toward the seas – and the real island dishes are goat and mutton rather than Bluefin tuna.
  • Taste authentic Sardinia at the post-Ardia party with heapings of suckling pig and freshwater eel – all washed down with homemade vernaccia wine! 

Oristano’s Pleasures

  • The province of Oristano, where Sedilo nestles, is famed for its vernaccia wine (made from an unusual local grape variety), wild coastline and pristine beaches still unblemished by masses of sun-worshiping tourists.
  • The name Oristano itself (Aristanis in Sardinian) means “between seas and ponds.”
  • The region on Sardinia’s western flank hosts important archaeological parks, including Tharros, an ancient city of Phoenician origin, and the necropolis of the Giants of Mont’e Prama, the original home of massive sculptures from Sardinia’s Nuragic civilization.

Constantine

  • Constantine The Great, possibly the 1st Christian emperor, was born far from Rome’s Colosseum in today’s Nis, Serbia.

He won a spectacular rise up army ranks and in 306 AD became one of Rome’s four co-emperors. It was the time of the persecutions that drove Christians underground. In 311 Maxentius declared war on his co-emperor from Rome. Constantine led his army over the Alps and on the way, legend goes, saw a flaming cross in the sky with the words In Hoc Signo Vinces (In this sign you will conquer). Conquer he did, destroying Maxentius’ troops in the Battle of Milvian Bridge. He went on to issue the Edict of Milan that ended the Christian persecutions.

Reviews

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Social

Social Links

Beds & Eats

Accommodation

Ardia di Costantino Accommodation

  • There are no great places to stay in Sedilo.
  • Accommodation is available in Oristano
    Oristano is about 50 km from Sedilo.

Amenities

Eats & Drinks: Restaurants, Food Stalls
Fresh & Clean: no
Cash & Shops: no
Zone In & Out: no
Accessibility: no
Ardia di Costantino Amenities

Ardia amenities are exquisite & abundant!

  • Slowly roasted suckling pig.
  • Freshwater eel skewers.
  • Homemade vernaccia wine. 
Nearby Restaurants
  • Da Armando: B&B + rustic restaurant
    loc. Talasai Sedilo
  • Alcatraz: Restaurant & Pizzeria
    V. Martiri della libertà

When

Dates

start Tue, 05 July 2016
end Thu, 07 July 2016
Ardia di Costantino Dates
  • Ardia is usually on July 6 & 7.
  • Ardia parade begins about 6pm.
  • Races start around 7pm.

Season & Weather

Season: Summer
Temperature: 19 to 31 °C

Sardinia weather in July can be very hot & dry. The festival site on the outskirts of Sedilo village is dry and the horses kick up a lot of dust. Prepare by bringing plenty of drinking water.

Contact

Contact

Web: http://www.santuantinu.it/
Email: info@santuantinu.it
Tel: +39 785 59 862
Ardia di Costantino Contact
  • Associazione Santu Antinu
    Chiesa di San Costantino a Sedilo
    (Church of San Costantino)

  • Giacomo Meloni: +39 366 832 3698
  • Alfredo Mameli: +39 329 539 8568
  • Lino Manca: +39 333 329 5989
Discover Italy
Sardegna Turismo

Promoter

Associazione Santu Antinu: Santuario San Costantino Via Iosto, 7, Sedilo, Oristano, Sardinia, Italy.
ardia di costantino handler