Island of Sardegna

On each of our European trips, we like to explore at least one completely new location, and this time, we chose to visit the island of Sardegna (or Sardinia, as most Americans call it), which is the second largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, off the western coast of Italy. 

We left our friends in the countryside and drove to Civitavecchia, a port city just north of Rome, where we boarded a ferry for a five and a half hour boat ride to Olbia. We arrived late in the evening, so we spent the night at a hotel near the port, and the next morning we headed south toward our next destination, Villasimius, on the southern coast. 

Along the way, we drove through a town called Tortolí, and continuing a little farther toward the sea, we stopped at the marina area of Arbatax. It was there that we found these amazing rock formations jutting out of the clear blue/green water. We both took lots of photos, and before we left the area, we had some really good gelato for lunch!

When we finally arrived at the hotel where we were to stay for the next two nights, we were pleased to find a relaxing outdoor seating area and a couple glasses of prosecco (Italian version of champagne) to start the evening. 

That night, we had a delicious dinner at the hotel's excellent restaurant, next to the pool, with a sea view in the distance.

The following day, we explored the local area by car, took a long walk on the beach, and of course, shot lots of photos! The beaches near Villasimius are absolutely gorgeous, with unusual rock formations (very similar to the ones in Joshua Tree National Park) in between sandy beaches.

On our third morning on Sardinia, we left the beauty of the southern beaches, and headed northwest, continuing to circle the island. We stopped in the town of Oristano for lunch, walked around a bit, and visited the cathedral—which was quite beautiful—before heading to our bed & breakfast in Narbolia. 

Narbolia is a quaint little town, surrounded by farm land and wide open spaces. The main reason we were staying there was because I had read online what a nice place the Casa Pisanu B&B is, and we were not disappointed! It is a lovely old home with high, painted ceilings, run by a delightful woman named Rita, who was very helpful in pointing us in the right direction for dinner and sights in the area that she said we must see. 

Dinner that night was a complete surprise to both of us. Rita told us how to get to a nearby village called Vero Milis, and without her directions, we never would have seen the restaurant! Nestled on a narrow, empty street across from the town's church, we found Il Cortiletto Ristorante, which turned out to be a gourmet food establishment! Who would've guessed such a place could exist in such an out-of-the-way location?! It's just one of those wonderful discoveries one makes when traveling off-season, or in less touristy places, and getting advice from locals.

Rita also suggested we visit a place called Torre del Pozzo by the sea, where we would find something called S'Archittu, a natural arch in the rocks. Not surprisingly, people love to jump off of this into the sea below. We sat on the rocky beach, put our feet in the water (I was gently "nibbled" on by a tiny shrimp!), and walked all the way out to the end of the point beyond this arch, where there were great photo ops!

Our last full day on Sardinia, we awoke to Rita cooking breakfast in the kitchen, and in the dining room, we met a young German couple, Ben and Zena, who had also stayed the night. While we ate our delicious and copious breakfast, we chatted at length and learned we are of the same mind on many subjects. They are expecting their first child soon, and are planning a trip to California possibly less than a year from now, so of course, we invited them to stay with us and gave them our contact information. This is one of the aspects of travel that I enjoy so much! Making new friends, with the hopes of seeing them again in our environment or theirs! 

After making a quick trip to the local market for fruit and snacks for the road, we again took Rita's advice, and stopped on the way to Olbia, at an archaeological site in the town of Santa Cristina. There, we saw something called a nuraghe: a stone structure, and the remains of the surrounding village, built in the 16 century BC -- over 3500 years ago! 

School children on a field trip.

In the same area, there is a hypogean temple in the ground, built in the 12 century BC. It's an amazing example of precise architecture from ancient times, and we were able to descend the steep steps to the bottom to see the well that was 50 feet deep at one time.

The temple ground level.

Sam slowly venturing down into the well.

Water at the bottom of the well.

Looking back up at the sky from near the bottom.

After a long day of driving and sightseeing, we returned to Olbia to do some laundry, and spend the night before leaving on the ferry early the next morning, and continue on the last leg of our 2013 trip to Italy! But not before we got one more walk on a beach near Olbia!

(Click on photos to enlarge, and go to my Flickr page to see more photos.)