…and Away We Go!

At first glance, Oristano didn’t look like much of a town but there were some beautiful piazzas, a small archeological museum, and some nice restaurants. The hotel, Mariano IV Palace, was well-worn but the hotel was comfortable enough, in a good location with free parking nearby and the staff members were very kind. We ate some good meals in Oristano including one at Ta Matete with grilled swordfish, vegetables and a delicious lasagna.

We left Oristano this morning and drove along the coastal road toward Alghero. The Sardinian countryside is dry and the rocky landscape is dotted with oleander, cactus, scrubby bushes, and olive trees.

The red Fiat rental car is zippy and does a good job on the curvy mountain roads – the driver (a.k.a. Larry)is doing an excellent job!

It was a 2-hour drive with little traffic on a Sunday morning. We arrived in Alghero just after 1:00. We dropped our luggage and walked toward the city center for lunch at Trattoria Maristella. Our pasta dishes were tasty…one, spaghetti with clams and olives and the other, fat shells filled with pecorino cheese, mint, and creamy mashed potatoes (yep, mashed potatoes) topped with a fresh tomato sauce. This stuffed pasta is called Culurgiones, a traditional dish from this region.

Meals are usually served with bread and a very thin, crispy flatbread called Pane Carasatu.

The sun has been intense and the afternoons hot. We took a walk into the city center – there is a nice promenade along the sea. We look forward to some longer walks in cooler temperatures. Alghero is a beautiful small city in a beautiful setting. It’s one of the prime tourist centers on the island.

Sunset is at 7:09 p.m.  We arrived just in time to see the setting sun.

We’re looking forward to exploring this region for the next few days!

We drove about 30 minutes south of Oristano for lunch at Ristorante Da Lucio in the fishing village of Marceddi.

The seafood was fresh from the boats, docked just across the street.

It’s a sleepy town with dusty streets,

but the restaurant was filled with happy customers.

Near the town of Santa Giusta is one of Sardinia’s third largest lagoons, a natural habitat for flamingos. It was a thrill to see them feasting on tiny crustaceans that live in the water.

Back in Oristano, we’re admiring the statues, palm trees, and architecture. It’s a nice small city! The stature of Eleonora, one of Sardinia’s most famous heroines, stands in this square.

We’ll be here one more day before we leave for our next stop, Alghero.

This morning we left the coziness of Antico Corso Charme Hotel in Cagliari to go to our next stop, Oristano. The Charme Hotel had everything we needed…air conditioning (it’s still hot here), a kettle for boiling water to make coffee or tea, a comfortable bed, a closet with hangers and good WiFi. It was perfectly located on a major street with restaurants and shops nearby but at night it could be a little noisy. In spite of that, it worked well for us.

Cagliari is a great city with just enough character to make it really interesting. This stairway has been decorated and rather than being tacky, it’s fun!

The Archeological Museum in Cagliari is very modern and well organized. We learned about the history of this region and especially liked the many bronze statues found nearby. Here’s just one with a few more in the background:

It’s easy to get to the Airport from the city center-just a 7 minute train ride and very cheap. We picked up a Fiat Rental Car and headed for our next stop, Oristano.

The guidebook describes Oristano as “modestly beautiful” and explained that “you won’t find fancy hotels here but what you find will be genuine.” We haven’t had time to find out if that’s all true but there is quite a lot to explore in this region and this town makes a good base.

Today we dropped our luggage at the hotel and set out to explore Ancient Tharros, founded by the Phoenicians around 730-700 BC,. We spent several hours exploring the Archeological site with ancient ruins, the sea, and the sky.

We climbed to the top of this tower on the hill for a great view of the ruins and the sea. It was extremely windy at the top!

We found Bar Focacceria Casas in the tiny seaside village of San Giovanni. Larry tried the porchetta with radicchio and I had focaccia with thin slices of roasted eggplant and Gorgonzola cheese. We found our favorite soft drink – Chinotto – All good here!

We’ve had a busy day but we’ll rest up and be ready to explore more of this region, the Sinis Peninsula tomorrow. If we’re lucky, we might see some flamingos!

The Botanical Gardens in Cagliari were founded in 1865 as an acclimation garden for tropical plants with over 500 species from all over the world.

In the center of the garden is an archaeological area with a large number of Roman remains. We entered an opening in the rocky surface and walked through a long tunnel;

At the end of the tunnel was a huge dome-shaped cistern. In ancient times, the opening at the top allowed water to collect in the cistern. Today, the opening at the top has been blocked and the cistern is empty but the rocky walls make for some great acoustics! The video below is of Larry singing a Gregorian chant,  “In Paradisum”.

Just uphill (everything is uphill here!) are the ruins of the late 2nd-century AD Roman Amphitheatre. The label explains that “the Amphitheatre could accommodate about 10,000 people, who would watch fights between men and wild animals called venationes, executions and gladiator combats called munera.”

Our next stop was to be the Archeological Museum but after reaching it at the top of a long hill, alas…it’s closed today for repairs. Instead, we had a conversation with a nice couple from Naples who encouraged us to visit their city.

We made our way downhill to a traditional seafood trattoria Lillcu, a restaurant that has been in business for 75 years. The waiters are friendly and the dining room, with eclectic art on the walls and a buzzy atmosphere was an experience! Just what we were looking for.

The afternoon has been filled with leisure time (a.k.a. napping).

We have one more full day to explore more of Cagliari! It’s a great city!

The museums and the Botanical Gardens of Cagliari (pronounced kal-ya-ree) are closed today so it was a great time to explore the city. We started our walk  at harbor and went uphill toward the The Castello. The streets are twisty and narrow and the alleyways interesting to explore.

By accident we found the Bastione di Saint Remy, a neoclassical structure, with an impressive stairway and panoramic terrace. It was built into the city’s medieval walls between 1899 and 1902. From the terrace, the views over Cagliari’s rooftops to the sea and distant mountains is worth the climb to to the top.

So we’re in exploration mode – finding interesting sights around every corner. Dinner is late here beginning around 8:00-8:30. Larry is researching the trattorias to find one open on a Monday evening and we’ll be on our way to dinner soon!

We knew that we had a short layover in Amsterdam but we didn’t imagine how many other people were in the same situation. The lines at Passport Control were very long and we had just over an hour to get through the line and make it to the far away gate before final boarding. But we made it! The flight to Cagliari was pleasant as the KLM Flight Attendants were really nice and served a delicious slice of cake for dessert after an egg salad sandwich.

The Cagliari Airport was larger than we expected and easily manageable. The Rail Station in Cagliari is within walking distance of the airport and only a 6 minute ride from the airport into the main part of the city – the tickets were only 1.40 Euro each.

We’ve had very little sleep and we’re feeling weary but after we checked into our hotel, we popped out for a snack and a first look at the city. We REALLY like it here! This Sunday evening, the streets were filled with families and people of all ages out for a stroll, a bistro dinner, a slice of pizza or gelato. It’s lively!

There are cute cafés and bistros that we look forward to checking out.

In summary, we’re here, we’re happy and we’re very sleepy. We can hardly wait to check out the city tomorrow!

We’re on our way to a new-to-us destination! We’ll be landing at Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam  Sunday morning and with only one hour and 15 minutes to make our connection we’ll have no time to linger. Once off the plane, we’ll follow the signs to the gate that will take us to the capital of Sardinia, Cagliari on the very southern tip of the island.

After 4 nights in Cagliari, we’ll pick up a rental car and drive around the coast of the Mediterranean Sea to spend time in the cities of:

• Oristano
• Alghero
• Santa Teresa Gallura
• Orosei and
• Olbia.

Here’s what we’ve learned about Sardinia:

1. It’s Italy!
2. It’s a large island in the Mediterranean Sea.
3. The official language is Italian but some people speak the local dialect, Sardo.
4. And, some people speak Catalan.
5. It’s sparsely populated with more sheep than people.
6. The food is delicious made with local, seasonal ingredients.
7. Local red and white wine are produced here as well as craft beer.
8. The landscapes are varied with beaches, rocky terrain, and forests.
9. It’s a Blue Zone with the highest percent of people who live to be at least 100 years old.

Below is a stock photo of Cagliari.

We’ll leave Sardinia after about 3 weeks to travel to Trieste, Italy and Ljubljana, Slovenia for a few days.

Our plan is to spend about 3-4 nights in each place. We look forward to interesting cities, beautiful beaches, archeological sites, and interesting food and wine.

Check in every couple of days for more photos if you’d like to follow along!

Ciao!

Sharon and Larry