Sardinia

After spending a very diverse week in Sardinia we are waiting at the Cagliari airport to fly back to the mainland. We have been getting so efficient (if not cautious) at traveling that we arrived three hours early! You can never be too careful when flying Ryanair.

Our trip indeed turned out being a sort of driving tour, particularly since we underestimated the windiness and narrowness of the roads. However, we discovered that the twistier and more treacherous the road, the more beautiful, and there were very many twisty roads. It was hard not to compare Sardinia with other large islands, like Tasmania and New Zealand, all of which enjoy incredible diversity--mountain ranges, rugged beaches, farmland, mining towns, isolated villages, and hills full of sheep. Sardinia also claims ancient civilizations, droves of goats, and luxury resorts, completely vacant 9 months out of the year.

Besides the natural beauty of the island, one of its most pleasant aspects is the friendliness of the people. Like all Italians, they are jovial and genuine, but unlike Florentines (whom EVERYONE calls chiusi, or closed) they are also outwardly warmhearted and hospitable. As soon as we arrived we discovered how difficult it would be to navigate the roads, however Seth seemed to really enjoy stopping to ask for directions (which we estimate he did maybe 5 or 6 times a day), because it almost always turned into a funny experience. For example, we were in one small town called Bosa, trying to find our B&B. We drove into a tiny road so narrow and crooked we couldn’t pass and had to back out of. Two goofy guys told Seth to fold in the side-view mirrors then helped him navigate out of the road as he drove in reverse, weaving down the alley and into a tight parking spot. They were with us for probably a good 20min, and when the car was finally parked they then offered to walk us to our B&B. Seth thought they were going to ask us for money so he tried to shake them off, but it turned out they really were just being nice and didn’t expect anything in return. Another time we were in the mountain town of Oliena and we were trying to find our way to a nearby village. We stopped to ask a man on the side of the road and he gave us a detailed description. Later in the afternoon we were sitting on a bench in Oliena watching the rush hour traffic flow by when the same man spotted us, pulled around in his car, rolled down his window, and asked if we found the town alright. It was so nice! Seth also loved how everyone seemed quite happy to converse in Italian and no one insisted on speaking English, a very irritating thing for someone trying to learn the local language. In fact, many people seemed to get a kick out of us knowing some Italian and seemed to really enjoy trying to make conversation with us--in Florence people don't typically give us the time of day, especially since we are probably seen as 'just more tourists'.

Sardinia is a popular late-summer holiday retreat for mainland Italians, but until July it is totally deserted. Many of the places we stayed we were nearly alone, which meant we got extra attention from our hosts. This also meant many archeological sites, shops, information booths, etc. had reduced hours or remained completely closed until Easter. This was not a bad thing, but it was a bit strange driving into certain small towns that did not appear inhabited, especially during the afternoon lull (when most shops close for lunch for a good 2–3 hours!).

Despite hours driving everyday (at about 1.50€/liter, or $8/gallon), we never felt rushed and were able to enjoy ourselves. We cut down on some expenses and some hassle by stocking up at the many grocery stores and eating the exact same thing for lunch and dinner all week long--a can of cold beans with a jar of pasta sauce and some sort of bread and cream cheese. Fairly (actually surprisingly) satisfying, healthy, convenient, portable and picnic-able, but I am glad we didn't do it for longer than a week! We did, however, treat ourselves with a jar of honey and two cans of tuna during this time. This helped to offset an expensive accident involving our rental car and a rock, but we were able to ignore it for the most part and we had a great trip!