Twice around the world in 40 days

[drron]

Arriving at PHX last night I noticed an ad for the PHX fitness track.Though there it would just be walking between terminals.

 

[RooFlyer]

Some of the typical buildings surrounding the Citadel of Cagliari. Its pronounced more like Cal-gry and is very historic (of course ) . More on that tomorrow.

 

[VPS]

Lovely photos

 

[tgh]

Europe is just so photogenic, and roo flyer is making it look even better

 

[RooFlyer]

Sardinia first came on my radar when I visited Carthage (Tunis) a few years ago and learnt about the Phoenicians, Carthaginians and Romans in the central Mediterranean. When I was scoping which Mediterranean island I would visit on this trip, Sardinia stood out for what I was looking for - history and scenery. I would add beaches if it was summer - there are some magnificent ones, with clear, emerald coloured water.

At 24,000 sq km, its a bit over 1/3 the size of Tasmania and is the second largest island in the Med, after Sicily. A bit under 1hrs flying time from Rome to Cagliari, the capital.



There's a hellavalot of history here, most of which is of no interest to most here, so i'll keep it short.

Peoiple are first thought to have settled here about 10,000 years ago - that is, the Stone Age. Tools from the 3rd to 5th millennium BC have been found. The iron/copper ages came about 3,000 yrs BC and abundant artefacts have been found. There is a terrific archaeological museum in Cagliari which is worth a visit. Goes from the Mesolithic, through the Romans and beyond.



The most prominent ancient civilisation was the Nuragic, and I visit several of their towers from 1,500BC on a following day.

The Phoenicians came about 900BC, the Carthaginians abt 600BC, the Romans abt 240BC, the Vandals in 456AD, the Byzantines, the Aragonese, Spanish in 1469 and under Italian control from about the mid 1800s. There was some independence terrorism in the 1970s-80s.

Phew!

Cagliari is dominated by a large hill, around which has been built several generations of forts and walls, which today are mixed and some overbuilt. there are four distinct areas to the old part of the city, distinguished by the age of the walls (remnants). The tower on the right (under restoration) is the Torre dell'Elefante ('Elephant tower' ) built in 1307 as one of the defensive citadels. Why the Elephant Tower, you ask?



Towards the summit of the hill are numerous palaces etc and at the top, the archaeological museum, gallery and other museums.



A number of piazzas on the way up the hill give views - this is towards the port and marina. The airport is quite close, off to the right..





With the various generations of walls, come many types and styles of old city wall gates:


.

 

[Cossie]

Pity you don't have that long there, there is a lot to see, driving is easy and very few people, also being a geologist I'm sure you'd be interested in places like Carbonia on the west coast. Bosa just south of Alghero is lovely and Alghero itself is definately worth more than a few days! Olbia is also very pleasant.

I haven't been up to the Costa Smeralda north of Olbia, nor down the east coast, but one day! Some places are a bit hit and miss, Porto Torres for example is noted for it's huge chemical factory. Along the coast to the east is Castelsardo, which is picture postcard stuff.

North of Alghero is Argenteria, guess where it's name came from! I like going in to the shops and all Sardinian produce has their flag on the items, I also like their beer, Ichnusa, of which I have some in the fridge now, you can buy it here.

Not too keen on some of the meat they eat, Cavallo (horse) is very popular, and we also saw Donkey on the some menus, definately not for me. I'm sure by now you have had fregola.

Anyway, really enjoying this, Thanks.

 

[RooFlyer]

Yes I'm always too much in a rush on first visits. I was at Tharros today ( one of my main to-sees) and had planned to go up to Bosa today and then back to Cagliari via the southwest, but I had a late start and lingered too much over the Phonetians Yada Yada so I saw even less than I planned .

Will catch up on the TR tomorrow, with much time at airports!

 

[RooFlyer]

Continuing my wander around Cagliari. Lots of charming terraces in the old town, some done up, some a bit worse for wear.





My B&B host said to make sure to visit the San Benedetto Market. Interesting, but nothing special. Lots of fruit, veg and meat (whole suckling pigs a speciality!). If I was after anything, I'd go to the shop where the mammas are shopping.



Naturally, Cagliari has a Roman Amphitheatre, built in the 2nd century AD and seating 10,000. Its seating was carved out of the limestone. It was used as a quarry in the 2nd millennium . Run-down today and I didn't pay to go inside.



The botanical gardens was another recommendation to see. 4 Euro admission, and quite disappointing. Good succulents and palm collections (as far as I could tell, but pretty drab otherwise.



Back to the old town. many churches of course, but for some reason Italian churches don't do much for me. Santa Anna church on the left, a youngster at abt 100 years old. Something interesting peeking out up the street, though.



This is the curch of San Michele, consecrated in early 1700s. I wanted to go in, but it was apparently locked up - although I know many of these churches have a discrete door for worshippers to enter, keeping the tourists out. Nice carvings

 

[RooFlyer]

Last couple from my first day. From the above church I wandered down to Piazza Jenne, which looks like the nicest place to have a lunch or just hang out. Quite large, no cars in a large part of it and nicely restored buildings. Oh, LH pic is from somewhere else!



I didn't want a big lunch - on these trips I have a big breakfast and may even skip lunch depending on how I'm going. Pretty easy going place, I ordered what I though was a ploughman's lunch type of affair and not too large.

Well, no so much. Not sure if you can tell, but this platter had depth as well as spread! I made a brave effort, then the guy took pity on me and brought over a little box, and the rest went there, and was dinner later on!



Past the water front, to the south-east is the Santuario di Nostra Signora di Bonaria (Shrine of Our Lady of Bonaria), founded in the 1300s. St Bonaria is a sort of patron sait of mariners. Three Popes have visited here (Paul VI, JP II and Benedict XVI).




View of the Citadel from the church. the dome is the 12th century Santa Maria Cathedral. St Saturino's Basilica, (RH pic) was first built in the 500s, and has been re-built a couple of times. the front gates are very old.

 

[RooFlyer]

This is Bill and Mary. They are in group 4, deep in whY. They took up station inside the priority lane at the gate early on and there they stayed as assistance, and Groups 1, 2 and 3 got called and all squeezed past.



And here they are again, standing in the doorway of the bus, even though the centre of the bus is virtually empty.

Bill and Mary are a bloody nuisance.

 

[Boca68]

Ahem! it would be a squeeze getting past that derriere

 

[clipped_wings]

Don't be Bill and Mary. Be RooFlyer. RooFlyer is smart.

 

[Jim Walsh]

Went to Sardinia in 1984 for a sailing regatta, I remember the airfares were over $2000 back then even with a group discount. Amazing how much cheaper it is to fly these days

 

[RooFlyer]

Bit of a delay in the TR as I've just had a very ordinary - bad - first 12 hours in Israel. AVIS and the CP Tel Aviv Centre conspiring after midnight to get me very hot and bothered. Will detail in proper place in the report.

Anyway, back a couple of days ago.

Had arranged a Hertz hire car from the depot next to the train station, close to my B&B (Avis are there too, but they were sold out months ago when I looked). Hertz guy was actually helpful.

This building is Cagliari City Hall, a nice Art Deco pile finished in 1907. The four blindfolded heads were intriguing. They are the 'Four Moors', who appear bandaged (formerly blindfolded) on the flag of Sardinia also.





I hit the road north and my first impression was how good the drivers were here - not your typical Italian city driver. That opinion changed a it by the time I returned the car!

Soon I was at one of my two 'must see' places in Sardinia - the Nuraghe Su Nuraxi, just out of the village of Barumini. Its a World heritage site (strangely Sardinia's only one) and is Sardinia's best example of a fortified tower and village of the Nuragic civilisation, this one dating, at its cotre to abt 1,700BC - the end of the stone age, which is pretty remarkable. there are about 7,000 nuragic structures around Sardinia, but this is the best preserved (or best general example ... not sure).

There is an admittance fee, and you must take a guided tour (not extra, not tipped). Our guide obviously spoke multiple languages, and the French family that was there at the same time was happy with English, so that was it. This is the first impression.



It makes more sense from the air: LH pic shows a central tower, jutting into an open 'courtyard', built c1,700BC . Four outer towers are jointed to the main wall, and all this has been re-walled around the perimeter. An outer wall, with towers was built about 800-900 BC (bronze age). The smaller walled structures within the outer wal and outside it is a village, of several ages, built later still, up to about 500 BC.

Its built of basalt blocks, just piled on top of each other, no cement and no carving (the Mayans etc could have given these guys some lessons!!)



You gate a pretty good tour into the complex (walls have tunnels and accesses through and in them)/.


This is part of the village. Village building shave been partly 'restored' - the central fort is as-is.




Neat the fort is a 15th century Spanish villa 9the Spaniards ruled here at that time. It was the estate of the Zapata family. In the 1980s I think the State bought it. A nice old church near by as well.



Nice details around the windows and doors, done in the local volcanic rock.

 

[RooFlyer]

On the inside, the villa is a big surprise. After the State bought the it, they started renovating it and discovered that it had been built on an ancient nuraghe . So the renovation turned into a gutting, with ramps installed for seeing the ancient structures and a very nice museum of artifcats they found there. This is included in the ticket for Nuraghe Su Nuraxi and is in the village, just before the turn to go to the main site, if you are coming from the south.



I was headed to the central west, but wanted to see abit of the 'Costa Verde' on the way, but to drive it from the south would take too long, so I went to the northern part, Torre de Cosari via some B and C roads. Through some nice green country (as it had all been so far). At the coast, sure it was nice and blue water and some OK looking beaches, but the scenery wasn't that great.



There was of course a Torre (tower), built I think by the Spaniards in the 17th century for defence.



Had to back track a bit and then head north to get to my overnight stay, the Hotel Lucrezia in Riola Sardo, a small town north of Oristano. When I was looking for accommodation in the area, there wasn't much to choose from. I eventually chose this for not much better reason than availability. For some reason, I had in mind that it was a 3 star, 1960s type place, more like an old motel, and my expectations were low. When I got to the address, it looked a bit odd for what I had booked (LH pic), but the sign was definitely right. Very happy to find out that my visual picture was completely screwy (don't know why ... ). Was met by a cheerful lady and led into a gorgeous courtyard, around which about 6 rooms are set, in an old farmhouse complex.



Some inside common area, LH pic and more of the courtyard RH.



As usual I asked for a quiet room. She showed me two - the other one was bigger in both the room and bathroom, but backed onto the street - this one was on the 1st floor, but totally surrounded by thick walls. This place was about E90/night, incl breakfast.



I was offered a welcome drink in the courtyard, and there was a loverly little alcove off to the side; drink extended to snacks. Not sure what the drink was - she mentioned wine and ginger, but it tasted somewhat different. very refreshing, whatever it was.




After that, I went for a walk around the town. It was very uninspiring. I have been trying to get into the Italian espresso thing and found a cake shop to do some more research. I've always been a latte guy myself (only in the coffee sense, I assure you ), but when in Rome, so to speak. I tried quite a few, but still can't get the point. On the side of an autopista, at one of those highway-side cafes, where its a stand-up quick shot of caffeine - OK. But a thimbleful of drink to go with a pastry? You couldn't sit and read the papers with one slurp of coffee ....

 

[RooFlyer]

I asked for a dinner recommendation. They could do dinner at the hotel, a set menu that had to be ordered in advance (that afternoon), but they also had a list of restaurants within 20 mins drive, so I went for a seafood place in nearby Cabras, 10 mins drive away. The town is on a lagoon, off the Med sea and I was told it was a fishing town. Again, the place not one for tourists, just a local restaurant.

The sun was going down by the time I got there (8pm, not too early for the locals, I discovered). English menu much simpler in words than the Italian, but the dishes were all there.



It was recommended to try any dish with 'bottarga' but I preferred the spaghetti with clams for a starter, but they brought out the bottaga for me to try for myself. Its dried fish eggs, and sure adds a fishy zing!


Couldn't get wine by the glass, so I went for this half bottle of local stuff. BTW the olive oil for my bread was also very local. My main dish was grilled mullet. it was brought out whole but then the waiter de-boned it, which spoiled it a bit. It was very nice, however. You pay by the 100g, so they brought out a selection of fresh whole fish for you to choose the size you want

 

[RooFlyer]

Brekky at the Lucrezia was a low key affair; something cooked was offered but I went 'continental'.



Then I was off to nearby Tharros, on the Sinis peninsula, the other main thing that attracted me to Sardinia. The countryside is very green and lush, with a variety of crops being grown. I passed this small structure - another Nuraghe structure, by the looks. When there are over 7,000 on the island, very likely.



Tharros is best known for being the site of Phoenician port and town, established about 800 BC. Then came the punics and the Romans and the Byzantines till about 1,000 AD. Most of the ruins seen today are Phoenician. The tower however (San Giovani) was built only about 1600, one of the number of torres in the area.


I must confess althought the site is very interesting to one into history, its not very spectacular, although some of the surrounding history is. Most of the remains are plain block work, except for these 2 columns which I think were Roman. The streets are paved with basalt slabs..






Up a hill are the remains of a nuragic settlement, unfortunately mostly built over by a Phoenician temple.


The far end of the peninsula would have been a great walk, but for the reward of a 'necropolis' of unknown condition, I didn't do it. It would have been a great day on the water, in my 50' motor launch, being served champers and crayfish caught locally ...

 

[Scarlett]

Is this still a trip report or an official Visit Sardinia travel brochure?

Very impressive RooFlyer.

 

[RooFlyer]

I was wanting to drive a bit more around the island, but did the calculation of returning to Cagliari to return the car near 5pm when due and thought I should get back there sooner rather than later. Plus there was more of the town I wanted to see.

The Hertz depot was right downtown, easy to get to by the airport highway, and I had already scouted out 2 petrol stations to do the refill.

Oops - service station # 1 closed due to surrounding roadworks; #2 closed for post lunch siesta (it was about 2:30pm), as was choice 3 found via GPS. Getting annoyed now, and going into the suburbs of Cagliari to find an open servo. Eventually found station #5 open, so returned to Hertz all OK.

I needed to walk back up the hill to check out the Cathedral of Santa Maria. Some more nice places on the way. You can see in the RH pic the origin of the term 'Italianate' in describing this building style.



So there's the Cathedral up there; climb around the citadel and through one of the many gates. Cars have traffic light control; pedestrians take their chances.




The cathedral was originally built by the Pisans (ie from Pisa) in the 13th Century (obtained cathedral status in 1258) but was extensively modified in the late 1600s and in the early 20th century, the 1600s façade was replaced with a modern one, going back to the earlier style.


Some fabulous art inside, including the ceiling fresco and four lions guarding the crypt. Also paintings on canvas and wood, stored safely.



The crypts have some great stuff. I didn't go into the history of them closely





Nearby, some interesting doorways, grand and more humble:


Walkinmg back down the hill, a frery is coming into port, and a place at the lower part of the citadel complex.



Finally, views across the town.

 

[RooFlyer]

So that concludes Sardinia. Mine wasn't a really typical visit, so hard to sum up for AFF. @Cossie welcome to give their opinions too .

I thought it was sort of 'Italy light' - things Italy renowned for, a bit softer here. Easy to deal with, few hassles, nice place to be ... relax.

My next destination was Israel, and being the very conservative chap I am, I devoted an entire day to getting there, not only because I flew via LHR, as I'm on oneWorld. The journey was CAG-FCO on Alitalia (separate ticket, so I allowed 4.5 hrs connection in Rome), then BA to LHR then BA again to TLV.

The day started earlier the OMG o'clock, with a 4:45am taxi from my B&B to CAG. It was booked a day in advance and I was nervous abut it arriving, but it was 10 mins early and therefore so was I, arriving after 13 min taxi tide at the airport abt 4:50am 22 euros

I had checked in on-line and had 3D (aisle by choice) - a much better position than the plane coming over!! Still not sure what happened there.

Anyway CAG airport at 5am is like many others at that time - mostly deserted and closed! Bathrooms a bit of interest - these have auto water in the middle and auto air jets on each 'wing'.



Security didn't open until abt 5:05, so a bit of a wait, then into the terminal for a desperately needed espresso and croissant.

AZ1590, Alitalia A320, pretty standard whY lay-out 3-3 and service, perfectly adequate for the 50min trip to Rome FCO.






Landed 7:20am, bus to terminal, bags started to arrive at 7:50am. Not too bad.