This is my 300th post from over 15 years and could well be my shortest....
Three days in Rome has left us completely overwhelmed by the sights and sounds that would be impossible to describe so enjoy the piccies and use Google lens or similar to find out more.
Next post from Greece!
But above all a massive grazie mille to Gino near Ciampino for a perfect park up in his garden!!
So after a busy fortnight in areas often without coverage there is quite a lot to catch up on so bear with....
The aire at Genuri served us very well although a walk on the Saturday evening saw us caught out by a bout of heavy rain just after we'd seen an impressive rock carving on a farm entrance. However Sunday was much brighter and we set off to ride over the Giara di Gestui limestone plateau that rose to the north. However despite a local prohibition the hunters were up there so we dropped back down and circumnavigated the upland mass via quiet roads and gravel tracks stopping for coffee at Nuragus before cutting across from Barumini to the mediaeval castle of Las Plassas perched atop a perfectly conical hill overlooking an attractive church.
After using the aire facilities which were well designed and functioned perfectly for a couple of euros we headed through the hills to Laconia for parking in the centre of town. We met a lovely British/Danish couple who advised us that the market the following morning would require us moving off early so we decided to relocate to the old station above town and parked under a large oak tree. Laconia had a remarkable park and formal garden laid out around the ruined Aymerich castle where a large open cave gave us the chance to watch a lesser horseshoe bat hanging around. The old station which still sees the summer narrow gauge tourist trains provided a very quiet overnight and as Sardinia has a number of these outfits which I doubt will run for much longer as many other rural lines have closed I am inspired to return in September 2026 for a few weeks enjoying all of them.
The market was a modest but entertaining affair and we bought a few bits and bobs before visiting the hugely impressive menhirs museum and then picking up a whole cooked chicken to scoff in the warm sunshine.
Up at Sorgono, the terminus of the railway, we spotted the old turntable and a remarkably rusted out old loco before a quick shop and a move on to Fonni from Tonnara only to find the direct road closed due to a bridge replacement.
As it turned out this was fortunate as whilst taking the longer detour we spotted a road up to the small and long since disused ski lift beneath Sardinia's highest peaks. We parked near a small agriturismo for the night which at -6 was the coldest for a while and the following morning drove as far as the end of the road beneath snow clad summits and ridges. We packed for a day in the mountains and began a steady walk up to the snow line and then along a ridge to the ski lift's top station which was clearly unlikely to operate again. A cafe remained half finished but it's terrace offered superb views in all directions. We followed the ridge west and then dropped to a col before the final climb over some large sections of snow to reach a summit with a large cross that we then realised was actually a few hundred yards from the true summit Punta La Marmora (6013') where we had lunch in warm sunshine as the cold wind had dropped. Dropping back we enjoyed some bum sledging and then took an alternative route back on the west side of Punta Paulinus to stay in the sun with a magical stop by a small stream before finally returning to the van after eight memorable hours. The location was perfectly aligned for the morning sun after which we dropped to Fonni which sported some beautiful murals and a very moving statue of the Virgin Mary in the chapel attached to the convent.
Marmoida hosted a fascinating museum devoted to the local masks festival that begins in March and has extended its remit to include similar masked festivals from across Europe and even featured English Morris Men : it was remarkable to see the similarities between countries thousands of miles apart. A chance discovery of a small restaurant tucked away in a courtyard led to an excellent lunch of local specialities before we called in on the church we had parked by which had stunning modern stained glass windows.
Orgosolo is renowned for its murals which are largely political and date back to the 60's but I will remember it for a nightmare maze of narrow streets, double parking and tight right hand bends on steep slopes that in anything larger than this would have been impossible. The possible overnight in a scruffy parking lot adjacent to the cemetery didn't appeal so we headed out of town to park by a picnic area on a flat plateau just as herds of sheep and cattle were responding to the farmer's calling. It was a remarkable sight augmented by the bells and bellows and a few pigs adding to the flow whilst the grazing horses seemed content to stay longer as the sun set.
We returned briefly to Orgosolo to use the launderette filling the waiting time in a small cafe kept immaculately by its proud young owner.
Picking up a section of motorway briefly we then turned up in to the hills once more and spotted a place for lunch alongside a hunters bothy where the very strong winds soon had our bedding dry.
The caretaker was also a guide for the nearby Grotte de Janas and said there was a tour at midday next day so after a quiet night we walked through the 'village of water' to admire the old mill, various fonts and a large sinkhole before heading out to the cave after making use of the service facilities.
The hour long tour was excellent with the cave sporting some huge formations and although the tour was in Italian a friendly girl took the time to explain much of the commentary to us. After the cave we walked down in to the gorge to admire a huge resurgence pouring out of a fissure in the rock face.
Down at Lanusei the planned park up beside the hospital was just a layby on a busy road so we dropped to the coast stopping for a while at the very moving abandoned village of Gairo Vieillo which had been threatened by landslides and torrential floods. We pulled up at an approved spot alongside the Eurospar supermarket in Tortoli which was far better than it sounds.... Two larger vans turned their noses up at it but we enjoyed a walk in to the large town on a lively Saturday night and found an excellent restaurant with a friendly waitress fluent in French, English and Italian who was originally from near Paris.
On the Sunday as our final week began we walked the picture perfect beach of Santa Maria Navaresse before heading north on the mountain road passing through numerous concrete galleries that protected the route from rockfalls. A panoramic viewpoint allowed us to look back over to the snowy peaks we had recently climbed and by early afternoon we were taking a rough track up to the Lanaittu Valley to a spot described on P4N as a park up. The small clearing in amongst shrubs and trees had no services and was provided free of charge apparently by Salvatore (who we never even saw) as he wants people to enjoy the area. A young German couple were parked up well away but otherwise we had the place to ourselves and felt it was OK to get the table and chairs out for a few hours of warm sunshine. When this disappeared behind the ridge we walked back along the track to look at a few caves and then dropped drop down to a remarkable resurgence that has been dye traced to the Sorgentu cave high in the hills with the water taking a month to flow through indicating a substantial system. On our return we were surprised at the number of vehicles coming out of the valley around sunset but it soon turned quiet and we had a comfortable night, initially with the door open to experience a superb night sky.
The following day (Monday) we were away on the bikes to ride a few miles up the valley, stash them amongst the trees and then begin the steady hike up to the Tiscali Nuraghe with views across to neighbouring limestone ridges and peaks and back along the Lanaittu valley. The walk became steeper and twisted through limestone outcrops, stunted juniper and then turned sharply through a narrow cleft in a huge split rock. Beyond that a curved raised beach led us to a final scramble amongst the rocks and the astounding site of a 5,000 year old Nuraghe village built in the shelter of a huge sinkhole and cave. The caretaker makes this unique commute every day and was obviously surprised to see us there so early, the bikes having saved us a ninety minute walk, he leaves his 4x4 near where we had locked the bikes. Fortunately for us the sun was just right to illuminate the site where over a hundred stone huts had been built in this sheltered and secure spot although only a few, and one in particular, remain in any substantive form. We enjoyed a good hour there and decided we had the time, energy, food and water to continue on quite a demanding path around the rest of the Tiscali mountain. My downloaded and therefore available offline Mapy.cz showed the route accurately and returned us to the start of the descent adjacent to the cliff fissure. It was great to have the bikes for the final ride home where a Brit had arrived but otherwise the place was empty. After another peaceful night we followed the path Salve had made out to a panoramic viewpoint over the gorge before heading off and filling with water at a tap by the resurgence.
Heading away reluctantly but promising ourselves to return we left Salvatore a note of thanks and 20 euros and took quiet roads north towards Bitti and Budduso. Sardinia has over 7,000 recorded Nuraghe sites with a good many found around Bitti and Budduso so we were tempted by a sign to Romanezsu to go and have a look. As we arrived at lunchtime we enjoyed ours in the sunny car park before going in and meeting the friendly caretaker who was, judging by the visitor book, not hugely overworked.
Given that to us this was one of the most remarkable, moving and impressive sights we have seen this was surprising and we were totally captivated by the couple of acres of hut ruins complete with original horseshoe shaped seating, meeting huts with stone benches around the walls and a central hearth, a stunning sacred well and bathing area with tiered seating and two temples with concentric walls and well defined recesses for offerings and the like. Many more acres remain to be excavated but for now the peaceful setting amongst cork oaks with numerous lizards scurrying over the warm rocks has become one of many great memories from this remarkable island. Two T shirts were bought as reminders of the place and we headed off to park up by another impressive Nuraghe structure Nuraghe Noelle. This was fully accessible and had yet more panoramic views and although overnight stays are OK I had my eye on an alternative just ten minutes away. This was an old grassed over quarry with its broad ledge reached through a tight gap between two rocks that would exclude wider vans and offered expansive views over the Lago des Canales reservoir south to the mountains around Tiscali. Goat and sheep bells were the only sound as the sun set and we woke to another hot sun after a very quiet night.
Still heading north we turned off for a long climb up to the numerous masts and towers draped over Punta Balistreri where we had lunch and took a walk amongst the weather sculpted granite outcrops before dropping to Tempo Pausiana for coffee in the square. Carnival preparations were under way and a guy was happily attaching banners and a smiling mannequin from a cherry picker right above our heads.
We arrived at an aire on the north coast and met the owner just as she was going out who said just to park anywhere so we chose a flat spot giving the other occupant, a friendly German guy, plenty of room as we didn't want hook up - he had electric bikes so I guess needed it and we took a quick look at the quirky outdoor shower before returning to the van for warm ones. The following day we called at the house to pay and were slightly irritated that they said their water wasn't potable although down at the service area it didn't seem too bad so we filled up anyway and dumped the loo in a huge tank stood alongside and presumably emptied by whoever deals with the house cesspit.
Detouring out to Capo Testro we walked out to more amazing sculpted granite outcrops with the limestone cliffs of Bonnifacio over on Corsica just a few miles away and then across to the lighthouse and semaphore house.
Thus on a Thursday afternoon we reached Palau which is mainly centred on the ferry service over to the island of Maddalena part of the eponymous archipelago of 7 larger islands and numerous smaller ones which make up a Nature Reserve. Two ferries provide a half hourly service all year round (and even hourly through the night) and there is a large marina alongside where after a couple of false starts and two narrow roads we were able to park. It was very quiet at this time of year but would be heaving in the season as the whole area has many holiday villas and resorts which are low key in design but still quite intrusive.
Saturday saw us catching the ferry for the twenty minutes journey to Maddalena town, we felt sorry for a French lady who had picked up a puncture on the boat but at least there was a bike shop opposite the arrival point.
We had a quick coffee and a donut in a cafe, noting the higher price of a resort establishment before taking various almost deserted roads to circle right round the island stopping at beautiful coves and beaches en route. Should we return as planned we would definitely revisit some of these for swimming when the water is still warm.
A bridge and causeway took us across to the smaller island of Caprese where we ended up at a small hamlet by a quiet pier. The road out to the most easterly point was about to be closed for some hunting so we turned back, spotted and indeed smelt some large horned goats and were back to Maddalena bang on time for the 6pm ferry.
Yesterday we cycled around the coast passing some lovely bays with crystal clear waters but the car parks were spoilt by endless fly tipping.... The restrictions and fines on campers really annoy me as clearly most of this was domestic and construction waste and if vans were allowed to overnight I think some of the issues might be resolved. There are plenty of local police and environmental police driving around but unless they get out and actually look the problem seems unrecognised. Ironically I fear this may just be good conditioning for my onwards travels through Turkey from what I hear.
Cannigione was a smart enough marina with a coast guard look out, million dollar boats and a friendly cafe that set us up for a return through the hills to the coast and back to Palau for our final night on Sardinia.
Today has been composing this humble offering before we head off to Olbia for the overnight ferry to Civitaveccia from where we head to Rome for three days, a return home for Mandy on Thursday and a whizz to Brindisi for my ferry to Greece on Saturday!
Sardinia has exceeded all expectations in terms of scenery, accommodation, entertainment, food and friendliness and we will as hoped be back......
Back on the mainland at Oriestano we made use of the service area before crossing a curious region of flat reclaimed land mostly used for agriculture, stopping briefly at a small shop for supplies before crossing an inlet to reach the coast running south from Capo di Frasca which has a NATO base on the northern tip.
In Arbus town we found the small knife museum where Paolo Pusceddu the owner showed us his collection of knives from over the years and then left us watching a fascinating video of how he produced a folding hunting knife whose handle was fashioned from a ram's horn that required much shaping, heating and bashing before the finished product was given a blade and polished up. He is still crafting beautiful examples of knives for a host of uses using traditional tools and techniques.
At Marina di Arbus we took a walk through the village and down to the harbour where a number of large yachts were undergoing maintenance on their hulls and a smart cafe run by a friendly young owner provided mid morning refreshments. A small convoy of classic Fiat 500s pulled in as we departed and further down the Costa Verde we found a large parking area above a huge curve of a beach so spent the afternoon walking to each end and had a quiet night with just three other vans dotted about. A Dutch couple in one were keen paragliders so took advantage of the cliff and onshore wind to enjoy the conditions the following morning.
Remarkably having being built in Edinburgh in 1983 she spent twenty years linking Portsmouth to the Isle of Wight being at the time the largest ro ro car ferry on that route. In 2002 she was sold to the Italian company that now runs this service and was sailed here with a crew of just 11 which must have been an adventure. Running 7 days a week around the clock we decided to take a trip over with the bikes the following day so checked out the fares and timetable before tucking away in the small harbour cafe.
The vessel docking and departing at times through the night was reassuring background noise and we caught the 10.20 with just a handful of foot passengers and two cars. Some of the original IOW signage was still in place and we enjoyed the top sun deck for the forty minute journey.
Cycling away from Carloforte we passed old salt pans teeming with flamingoes and reached La Calletta with its numerous shuttered holiday homes and a large unfinished and abandoned hotel. A return to Carloforte via an inland road gave us the opportunity for lunch on the seafront whilst watching the various ferries that link across directly to the mainland. An error in translation saw me tackling a huge plate of meats, cheeses and seafood that was probably aimed at a family group but I rose to the task before we set off climbing steeply at first towards the north west of the island. Far reaching views, blue skies and empty tracks made for a great day as we dropped down to the tuna processing unit at Tonnare and then returned to Carloforte for the return at sunset to Calasetta. We found a small restaurant in town and ate well with simple local food and drinks, the bill was on the high side but the place had great character although sadly we were the only customers.
A tour of Santa Antioco took us on more deserted roads, past beautiful beaches and down to Capo Sperone before a run up the east coast looking across the Golfo di Palmas returned us to the main town for coffee in a smart cafe that also sold some deli foods. We were taken by the sand timer for judging tea brewing and the sugary donuts that fuelled us for the final few miles back to Calasetta following the old railway that is now a cycle path.
With rain in the forecast for 48 hours we crossed back to Sardi itself and took a twisting road through the mountains to Teulada passing through a very loud and dramatic hailstorm that put two inches of white marbles on the road just as we passed the highest pass with the tightest corners. A solitary bike track was visible and soon enough we passed a guy heading to lower levels at speed. Park4Night indicated that a campsite provided services part way along the linear village of Chia but when we got there the barrier was down but not locked so we passed through and gave the owner a call. He only spoke Italian but turned up after ten minutes to switch on the power and water which was hugely appreciated. So for €20 we were pitched up alongside a salt water lagoon and five minutes walk from a spectacular beach. We had done our laundry in Calasetta that morning so soon had a line rigged up and I gave the bathroom a good clean as we had access to plenty of water before we walked out to the sea. The night was quite wet so we were glad to be in a warm and comfy vehicle with some catch up TV watched as we both have O2's 25 GB roaming limit. I am very pleased with my decision to switch providers as Three had a lower limit and a £2/day access fee : another Brexit bonus...
From Chia we moved swiftly on to the island's capital Cagliari, reached by passing industry on the west side and then circumventing the commercial port south of the airport. In the centre of town the MSC Lirica, a large cruise ship was moored up alongside the ferry to Civitavecchia near Rome and we were soon pulling in at the secure aire just to the east of the centre. Two African lads were manning the barrier and were very friendly, particularly once they realised I could speak French, originating from Guinea Bissau we wondered about their back stories as we were directed to a parking spot. Quite a few vans were in storage and once the owner had returned I booked us in, and paid the 20 euros and took on board his advice for how best to explore the relatively compact centre.
Thus we walked down to the sea front and along towards the cruise ship before a drink in a cafe where an intriguing character stopped to sell us some trinkets. He was a tall and very engaging African gentleman with a humorous approach to his trade so we very much enjoyed the encounter and bought just a few things. The old fortified centre was reached by numerous stairs and back alleys with excellent views in all directions and very few tourists even though the Lirica could have disgorged up to 1500 people.
In fact we met an Irish couple from the boat who said it was leaving at 16.30 having arrived from Civitavecchia over night. Their cruise was a 10 day tour of the Med but I noticed that at the end of the year the ship would offer a cruise over to Brazil and then spend the winter in warmer waters.
The city walls were impressive with the main gate the Bastione di Sant Remi being particularly imposing, an adjacent cafe revived us with good coffee and even better ice-cream before we moved on heading back through the old centre to view the remarkable Roman amphitheatre carved directly in to a limestone gorge. As work was apparently (if invisibly) underway to refurbish the access paths the site was closed but the ticket office open where the lady said you could pay to enter and walk a short way down the boardwalk for a less impressive view than could be obtained from outside on the street...
Needless to say we took some piccies and then returned to the harbour in time to see the Lirica depart as the sun set. Benches near the gates were hung with sodden blankets and sleeping bags where homeless migrants must have endured an uncomfortable time in the previous day's downpours: compare and contrast with the lives of the departing cruise guests....
Counting as ever our good fortune we moved on to the final 'zone' of Cagliari and chose a small and cosy trattoria for an excellent meal : sea food for me, cheeses and salad for Mandy all washed down with Ichnusa beer and half a carafe of house white.
Back at the aire the security guy gave us a friendly wave and we retired to bed after walking almost 11 miles.
Checkout was at midday giving us time to walk up to the covered market at St Bernardino where the meat counters groaned with choice cuts of pork, beef and even horse, the colourful fruit and veg stalls were a delight to see and on the lower floor the fish market exhibited almost every species of edible marine life known to man. On one a large swordfish head was almost all that remained of a huge specimen and we bought a couple of fresh looking tuna steaks plus some oranges and chocolate bars as a little something for the guys back at the aire. They were obviously hugely touched by our gesture and we felt very humbled as we headed off towards the south east corner of this absorbing island. Another park up at Solanas gave us a couple of hours in the sun on the beach which was less than 20 yards away. A local guy had gone off snorkelling for hours and an Italian guy turned up in a large Fiat based 4x4 camper but otherwise we had the place to ourselves as yet again the majority of the houses were empty holiday homes. A tiny shop/bar had milk and biscuits but little else other than two friendly enough local couples.
A short run along twisting coast roads with superb views brought us to Villasimius where we stopped for lunch above a curved bay overlooked by another tower and with a small marina alongside . Out at Cape Carbonara we walked down to an interesting old granite quarry before moving on to another quiet park up at Sinzias where we had our first east facing beach with a hilly ridge behind meaning we lost the sun a bit earlier so after two hours on there in the mid afternoon sun we walked around the Cape to the next bay passing another Spanish look out tower. I had upgraded my Mapy.cz app to the paid version allowing me to use offline maps and they proved remarkably accurate as we followed the paths and tracks. I have downloaded all the maps for Turkey, Greece and the Caucasus as the latter do not feature on my Satmap and data may be an issue beyond the EU.
After visiting the solitary Nuraghe Asoru a Euro Spin supermarket at Muravera provided a good restocking of fridge and cupboards as we were intent on heading inland to the even more sparsely populated mountainous areas where a more traditional agricultural life predominates. A newer road cuts through the hills and valleys via tunnels and bridges with the old road glimpsed turning and twisting nearby. We picked this up to call at Armungia where the easily accessible village tap quickly filled our tank and then followed more wriggling roads to descend to a point on what would have been the shoreline of Largo Mulargia but low winter rain has put this way lower and whilst we stopped for lunch the setting below a hill meant we would lose the sun early. Thus twenty minutes later we pulled up at a dedicated aire in Escolca just by the sports club with a choice of five pitches, a good view west and a small but attractive village to walk in to. The local bar was friendly enough and yet again I wished for more of this tolerance and encouragement of van dwellers in those less visited parts of the UK and elsewhere. We require few if any facilities, by and large behave respectfully and bring income to local outlets.
A bizarre blue lighting scheme made the spot all the more memorable with a large flock of sheep passing by in the morning as we breakfasted in the sun. Up at Barumini we stopped briefly for cash and bread before reaching the Nuragi Sur Nuraxi where as luck would have it a guided tour in English was about to leave. Carlota gave us and the three Dutch visitors an excellent tour of this hugely impressive bronze age settlement. A huge central tower on 3 levels was surrounded by scores of circular huts which would have had thatched wooden roofs housing several hundred people. Access to the main tower was via steep stone steps and a narrow passage and beyond to the four secondary towers narrow passages within the walls were remarkable to experience as they threaded between the huge boulders used in its construction. From the top of the main tower you got an impressive overview of the site but I include a photo of a postcard giving the best bird's eye view .... They are missing a trick here by not offering a tethered hot air balloon ascent or similar.
As our tickets included a visit to the Zapatta Palace back in Barumini we returned to see the former home of a family from Aragon who had settled in the area. In less informed times they had constructed a magnificent home using the solid walls of a Nuraghe and it's outer towers to support the structure. The last baroness left the property to the community and funded the small elderly people's home in the grounds after which the archeologists moved in to excavate the bronze and iron age ruins. These can now be seen through extensive glass flooring whilst display cases show a number of artefacts recovered from this site, Nuraxi and others in the area. The lady who took us round was again well informed and had excellent English and after a look round the folk museum with its exhibits from more recent local history we dropped in at the small cafe. In the folk museum I was intrigued by the 'shoes' for oxen and an elaborate wooden box with ropes and pulleys used to compress hay in to bales : thirty years ago I had made a similar contraption to do the same thing when I once made hay manually at the farm.
So after a thoroughly absorbing day we have moved on to an aire at Genuri, an even smaller village tucked beneath the limestone plateau of Giara where we plan to cycle tomorrow as today has seen a few showers. The aire has shade provided by solar panels and we have plugged in to the hook up prepaid by debit card. In the tiny bakery two locals were clearly delighted that this new facility was being used and as often happens once I had used my few words of Italian went on a long discourse which I completely failed to understand.
So we have another ten days or so before returning to Italy for a visit to Rome before Mandy returns home at the end of the month and I head for Greece aiming to be in to Turkey by mid March......
Just as I was dozing off outside Trabzon there was a loud rap on the side of the van and I could hear voices so called out hello and slid th...
