Sardinia, that big island west to southwest of Italy.
A surprisingly versatile, impressive island that comes with super rich history, fantastic nature and lovely Italian culture and cuisine. In fact, only Sicily is geographically bigger.
The island offers many beautiful small beaches and also wide areas of mountains or plenty of steep hills. I mountain biked and spent time by the beaches as well as explored cultural sites. Also, the cities of Pula and Cagliari, the latter being the capital of the island with almost 160.000 people residing there. All island has just short of two million Italians living there permanently. On the weekends, they flock to the beaches or any stretch of sand and soil by the Mediterranean waters. A beautiful beach culture that exists alongside industrial and tourism industries.
Chemicals are big on Sardinia and chemical plants are found nearby the Oceanside in the south. Whilst many Roman or antique cultural or even older ritual sites can be visited across the island and explored to a very detailed level. The Sards are proud of their island and culture. Tourism is of course very big and one needs to avoid July and August from what I learned as those months are peak season for both Italian and global tourism.
My mountain Biking been a blast with Ajoha Tours, ask Andrea there for the tour I did in the south with a guide accompanying and challenging me. Great new bikes and steep challenging routes to the top of the Southern Mountains are available and recommended by me. We focused on the south of the Island on this trip in general and also covered a Grotto and old Mines besides some cultural sites. Natural wonders on the island include big dunes, flamingos in all lagunas and oh yeah, lagunes nearby classy beaches. Italian style beaches with people leaning on plastic stools underneath colorful bright sun umbrellas.
German, British, French and American tourists are met here and there with some Spaniards living on the Westside of the island. To get around a bike can help but the rental car will do best and helps you explore all kinds of roads. From newer wider ones to narrow city paths and older super small and not all maintained mountain roads. Plus nearby the Dunes, there is a stretch missing between two newer parts of a main road. What I mean by that? Well, one minute you find yourself on a solid paved road, five minutes later you’re off-road by all means. Steep hills, sandy to rocky surface and then even a river crossing. Which was done by me in a small Fiat Panda, believe it or not. Surviving and going strong with a smile, of course. Yes, you saw that dune-driving picture a bit up, following a bit down is that small river crossing. In the back is a small Porsche Cayenne visible, a dude from Austria who turned around 🙂
Service with food is great, it is Italy after all. Still, all a bit easier here and there. I’d wish for more dedication to higher class tourism in my opinion. Just, the masses in summer still seem to boost local business and the many hotels.
The capital of Cagliari is absolutely worth a visit, it is not that super big, yet provides for strong capital city vibes. Shopping from 5 pm again by the way. It combines the old town with the marina and the classy historical buildings on the mountain with the newer buildings towards the sea. Really a nice town.
Pizza and Pasta obviously are excellent and fresh fish is available even in small local supermarkets. People love their fresh food and eat dinner between 7pm the earliest and 11pm the latest here. Corte Noa might be the best wood oven pizzeria which I found there. In Pula in the southeast of Sardinia. Sardegna as I should write as that is the locale way to write it properly. Both the fish counter at that local Pula supermarket and the pizzeria follow in pictures further down this entry.
International tourists and local Italian live side by side here and it is all working out fine enough. I was surprised the most by the love of local especially white wines and yet again of the fact that the island not only covers natural wonders but also so many historical sites from times so super long ago of which you can still visit the remains and get a solid grasp of ancient times when humans already walked around here.
Ancient to Roman to medieval to somewhat modern times meet on the island. Portrayed in architecture, cuisine and how proud people speak of their big island. Really a lot of history for an island after all, even if it is a vast island.
More and more Americans visit Sardinia and accept even the long travel coming here, for good. Or for food. Locales address you in their fast Italian, but most could also continue in English from my experience.
A lot to be discovered and believe me, this is not one of those Islands, that you can drive around in a day. Many smaller roads and slow speed limits can slow you down or like in my case challenge you in your driving patience. It is OK here to drive faster than allowed as many locals go partially crazy, too. With too many road bikers on the shoulders at times. I did 300 miles or like 500 kilometers in a couple of days with the small Fiat Panda and was surprised by how sufficient that car works in its Italian habitat. It also brought us up to the Mine of Montevecchio in the southwest. That mine had been productive from the late 1800s all the way until 1990 and today, us tourists can visit the massive site safely. Ore and zinc were revealed here massively and made the owners rich whilst many poor workers died early. For nowadays visits please note that the time you book online has a little asterisk marked on it. The fine print then says plus/ minus 40 minutes! Haha, Italian style, like please be early but also accept delays. Well, after a small discussion (also Italian style?!) we made our way with a small group into the mine for a solid experience.
Visit and taste Sardegna please at least once, discover and smell the pine trees and watch the many flamingos living here peacefully. Relax on the beach and cross some of the many mountains. A beautiful island with that perfect Italian culture.
Take good care, explore the globe.
Yours, the Sirk
