I’ve been slacking a bit on the blog front lately, don’t know why! Just haven’t been able to bring myself to sit down and write for a little. Not much has been going on, aside from our trip to Sardegna which was amazing! I’ve been wanting to visit the island for a few years now, lured in by the promises of turquoise seas and white sand beaches and I was not disappointed! Sardegna is definitely one of my favorite parts of Italy and I am planning 100% to return someday to see more.
Sal and I flew into the Olbia airport, on the North Eastern coast of the Island (facing the Italian mainland), which is also known as the “Costa Smeralda” airport. Costa Smeralda means “emerald coast” in Italian and it’s called that because of the beautiful green (more like turquoise) waters that surround the beaches here. The Costa Smeralda is also the stomping grounds of Italy and Europe’s most rich and famous VIP’s, so there are tons of really expensive resort hotels, yachts and fancy clubs all around. We didn’t stay in the Costa Smeralda proper, but rather a bit more north in a small town called Santa Teresa di Gallura. Although it may not officially be part of the Emerald Coast, our little town was no less beautiful and had one of the most stunning beaches I have ever seen!
Me in front of the church in Santa T. di Gallura
Overlooking Rena Bianca, the beach in Santa T. di Gallura, from a cliff
One of the most fun parts of this trip was also brought on by the fact that we rented a car, a Fiat 500 to be exact! Now, I’ve always loved this little car (which is one of Italy’s most timeless and iconic) and I was super excited to finally “own” one for a short period of time. We got to drive around in style and, more importantly, we actually had the freedom to go where we wanted when we wanted which was awesome! We also go to see Sardegna’s gorgeous and unspoiled countryside. The landscape reminded me a lot of Sicily, but much calmer, cleaner and more wild. There were beautiful fields of grass, grains and wildflowers that just stretched and stretched. Cows and sheep roamed freely and farmers worked untouched by mass production- just like the good old days! There were lots of rolling hills and olive groves as well. It was simply gorgeous!
Loved the wildflowers everywhere
Me & our Fiat 500
One of the best parts about having the car was the ability to seek out restaurants that were a little off the beaten path. Our first night in town we drove to an argiturismo (farm establishments that sometimes offer lodging but almost always offer meals/food products. They grow and make all their own products from scratch with ingredients from their farms!) called Agriturismo Saltara. Way off the beaten path and down a winding road, Saltara serves up a 5-course prix-fixe meal using all the ingredients from their land. The meal, which included their own homegrown wine, was delicious from start to finish and featured traditional Sardinian recipes including: Zuppa Gallurese- which is not a soup, but can best be described as a savory bread pudding featuring lots of melty cheese and home baked bread. I’ve never had it, or even heard of it before, but it was great! I think one of my favorite parts of the meal was their homemade pecorino sardo, or Sardinian sheep’s milk cheese, pickled onions, and mushroom fritters mixed with garden vegetables. YUM! It was cool not to have to order anything and just sit there and have platter after platter arrive at your table! Afterwards, me and Sal were so full we could barely walk. While the cost was typically a bit more than we pay for dinner ($38 per person) considering the amount and quality of the food (and a full liter of wine!), it was a great deal.
Me at the agriturismo before dinner
Beginning of our meal- half our table (the other half was just as full!) with antipasti
Ok- i’ve only covered about half of our 5 day trip in this post! Will return later with the rest of the trip which was equally as amazing! Gotta get back to some packing, I’m going home in FIVE days!
