Don't tell anybody!
Written: Jun 29 '04 (Updated Aug 28 '04)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Remote, rugged, beautiful, and relatively inexpensive
Cons: Far from the US
The Bottom Line: If you like beach vacations, you'll love Sardinia. If you like to change your beaches daily, you'll have no problem.
Great hiking experiences!
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| vicfar's Full Review: Sardinia |
SARDINIA
For the last two summers, I briefly vacationed in Sardinia and I may continue to do this every year, such is the beauty of this rugged island. Although Sardinia is part of Italy, the vacation experience is totally unlike what you will have in the mainland. In fact, one often forgets in which country, or even continent, one finds himself. The local dialect itself provides no clues whatsoever. The island is so large that one can probably have a difference experience on each vacation for an entire lifetime.
I will divide this review as follows: geography, destinations, climate, people, accommodations, food and drinks, and things to do and see.
Geography
The island is about 9,300 sq. miles, slightly smaller than Massachusetts, and is shaped rectangularly. It takes about 2 hours to cross it East-West, in sections where highways are available, and 5-6 hours North-South. There are 1,6 Mill people, mostly living on the coasts. The population density is therefore much lower than in the mainland. The coastline is a mixture between sandy beaches of all colors (see below) and steep cliffs. The interior is very dry and very mountainous, in some areas even impervious. There are four national parks, at least they are declared as such, but they have no trails nor facilities. Especially in the interior, traveling off the road is very adventurous. The tallest mountains are around 1,800m (6,000 ft) and are very sparsely wooded. There are very few rivers and lakes.
Destinations
To get there, one can choose among three major airports. Flights from almost everywhere in Europe are frequent. Of the three airports, Olbia is the best. Although small, it is extremely elegant - a really top-notch airport, just renovated. I flew there from Koeln (Germany) on Hapag-Lloyd for a reasonable price (150E). Cagliari, the capital, has a rather old but functional airport with frequent flights. I arrived there from Frankfurt (Germany) on Condor for about 100E. To Alghero, in the West, you can fly with RyanAir for almost nothing (flights from London are often under 20E).
I stayed once at Capriccioli on the North Coast, the famous Costa Smeralda, once at Costa Rei, in the Southeast. The Costa Smeralda is where the jet set goes. Towns like Porto Cervo and Porto Rotondo are somewhat artificial, with fancy hotels and restaurants, all the famous boutiques and nightclubs, and prices there are out of sight. We sat in the terrace bar in Porto Cervo one evening and paid 10E for a Campari (the traditional Italian aperitif). At Cala di Volpe, in a 5-star hotel, we paid $13E (basically $15!). You’ll see mostly rich Italians here, a few Americans, and members of the Russian mafia. Nobody else can afford it.
This part of the island is the most scenic: a beautiful rocky coast, islands everywhere, and the Mediterranean at its most emerald green. The beaches are few and far between there, and the coast is often windy, sometimes very windy.
Costa Rei is a more traditional, laid back beach area, and the terrain there is almost as beautiful: hills in the background, and miles of white sandy beaches. Although less scenic, the experience here, away from the bustle and the traffic, was more enjoyable.
To really enjoy the island, one needs a car. The roads are mostly well kept and the signs are quite good. It is hard to get lost here, unless one takes the gravel roads, which are not at all marked.
Climate
The weather is a pleasure in Sardinia. Summer is from April to November, and it rains little during this season. In the interior, it is ever drier than on the coast. Like in most of Italy, one can count on good weather in the warm season. We had 100% sun in Costa Rei with 80-90 F, whereas in the Costa Smeralda we had 30% of the time overcast or rain, with temperatures around 65-80F, both times in early June. July and August are definitely hot months, and crowded ones. I would avoid them. Vacationing here outside the warm months is not advisable, because one misses the joys of exploring nature.
People
The people here speak an unusual dialect, which was totally incomprehensible to me. On the other hand, they all speak also good (accented) Italian, which makes life easy if you are fluent in Italian, which I am. On the other hand, English is spoken widely only on the North Coast. A little German is spoken in the South, mostly because the tourists there are almost 100% German, and the store keepers have adapted. Without some basic Italian, communication in Sardinia is difficult. People are quite nice and friendly. On the coasts, they are used to tourists and their behavior. Topless sunbathing and nudity are tolerated, at least on the beach if practiced with a bit of discretion. The interior is another world: one needs to step only 20-30 miles away from the coast and visit these little villages perched on the side of the mountain to experience the world of 100 years ago. Women are still dressed in black with their head covered, young men hang out at their little “bar”, (where a Campari was only 1E!!!) and the main industry is agriculture. Economically, the interior is depressed, especially because young people tend to move to the coast to find better work.
The famous Sardinian bandits, famous because of a number of high-profile kidnappings, have all disappeared, so I hear. The last one was captured 5 months ago. He was 70 years old. I felt therefore safe wandering in the mountains of the Gennargentu Park, a remote area where the hostages used to be kept.
Accommodations
Most people stay in small apartments. Our one-bedroom condo was 65E/night in Costa Rei, 75-90E on the Costa Smeralda. This is the main accommodation in Sardinia. The condos are usually in a style the reminds me of the Adobe one sees in New Mexico. They are basic but comfortable, usually with a terrace and view of the sea. It is a wonderful way to stay. Shopping for food and cooking it makes the stay especially cheap. Many of these “residences” have swimming pools and tennis courts. There are hotels, some of them fancy beyond belief. The Hotel Cala di Volpe, for example, reported rates of 2,000E/night in a simple room (without meals). These rates are not unique in the North.
Overall, Sardinia can be a very cheap, comfortable destination for Americans. The value you get for your money is great.
Food and Drinks
Local wines are variable in quality, but there are some excellent ones at reasonable prices: for a strong red pick the Cannonau. The white wines are weaker, but the Vermentino is a good choice. Foreign wines are not easily found. Italian beer is mediocre, so avoid it.
The food is not spectacular, but if you compare it with what you may get in a similar North American location, say the Caribbean, it is sublime.
Try the local (i.e. non-continental) specialties. I enjoyed “Malloreddus”, potato dumplings in saffron or tomato/sausage sauce; or “Culurgiones”, similar to ravioli with a filling of cheese, potato, eggs, onion and mint. For meats, the best is pork or even wild boar, cooked “in umido” (i.e. stewed). Local herbs are often used, like wild sage and thyme. Their perfume is something I have never experienced in the US garden variety.
I had the most sublime “prosciutto” of my life, obviously homemade, in a little village in the mountains. The fruit can also be fabulous. I also had the best cantaloupe experience of my life in a small village. A fruit so juicy and sweet that I wondered what is the stuff they sell in US supermarkets. No relation. Try also the local sausages: they are incredibly tasty (and fat). The no. 1 specialty, however, is the cheese, and specifically sheep cheese (pecorino). You have not lived till you have tasted Sardinian pecorino (pecorino sardo). There are more varieties of pecorino in a local supermarket than cereals in the US. You have to ask what the differences are…that is, if you like hard, strong cheese, like I do. For me, when it comes to cheese, Italy rules. Don’t give me that French gooey crap…or the Swiss chewing-gum variety. Finally, for dessert try “Sebadas” dumplings filled with ricotta cheese and soaked with honey (sometimes bitter honey). So much for cooking at home, right??
Overall, Sardinian cuisine is simple and tasty. The closer you stay to the basics, the more you will enjoy. No Nouvelle Sardinian cuisine yet, and no Fusion either!
Things to see and do
Well, I said Sardinia is unlike the rest of Italy, because it is not full of churches and museums and fancy shopping, which is what one does in the rest of the country. It is also desolate and mostly deserted, which is much unlike the overcrowded mainland. Unlike most of Italy, which has mediocre, polluted beaches, Sardinian beaches are clean, wonderful, scenic, in a word: fantastic. There are hundreds, and range from a 10-mile long beach on the South Coast to the little hidden “Cale” (coves), which one must hike to find and are often deserted. Sailing and boating are equally rewarding. There are hundreds of little islands to explore and the rugged coast of the north and northwest is best explored by boat. If you are in the Golfo di Ortisei, sail to the remote “Cala Luna” where the film “Mediterraneo” was shot.
The interior is great for hiking. We hired a guide and we hiked all day in the Gennagentu park: we saw beautiful trees over 2,000 years old, canyons, waterfalls, lakes, and the view from Monte Idolo was spectacular. There are areas (for example, the valley of the moon) the reminded me of Utah’s Capitol Reef, so stark was the desolation of the place. The are no trails, so without a guide it is hard to get around. Our guy was very kind and was happy with a 50E payment for a whole day of driving us around and guiding us up and down the mountain slopes. I tried to give him a 20E tip, but he said it was too much. Would you ever see this in the US? Bring hiking shoes: it is rugged, stony, and full of thorny plants. One can have 100-mile hikes in the Gennargentu, so we only scratched the surface. There is little “civilization” in Sardinia. Although Cagliari has a nice museum and there are cylindrical prehistoric ruins called “nuraghi” almost everywhere, I suggest sticking to the exploration of the wonderful nature.
Sardinia seems to be a well-kept secret. It is the playground of the rich Italians, but only in July and August. In June, there are Germans, a few Brits, but it is basically peaceful, and all to discover. That such a rugged, magnificent nature could exist in Europe, I had no idea….that goes to show you how ignorant I am. I hope that the place stays the same (and with this publicity, I am probably shooting myself in the foot) and I can continue to spend a week there each June. Garibaldi, the hero of the Italian Indepence war, retired there at the end of the 19th century. Perhaps I’ll follow his example!
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Couples
Best Time to Travel Here: Jun - Aug
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vicfar
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Location: Antwerp, Belgium and Aachen, Germany
Reviews written: 201
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There's a crack in everything. That's how light gets in (L. Cohen)
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