We had a very good overnight sail from Bizerte, Tunisia, averaging about six knots. Rob was not excited to go to the main southern port on the island of Sardinia so we continued northwest to the island of San Pietro. As soon as I saw the island upon our early morning approach, I knew it was going to be a special place. Globalization has not arrived here...yet.
After the dryness of Tunisia, San Pietro seemed very green...lovely stone cottages with red tile roofs lined the coast as we neared the port. We found a berth without a problem. Strong winds are predicted in the next few days, so we moored our ropes with great care.
The main town, only town on the island is Calaforte. The tourist season is over, so the locals have their town back. Very laid back, everyone really nice. Good shops and produce. It felt good to be back in Italy once again, enjoying the sight, tastes and smells of the salumeria (delicatessen).
The island is fairly level, so we got the bikes out and went for a ride,
ending up at a
beach cafe. As we were having lunch, we met some locals who have homes on
the island. We started talking with them and our story was quite interesting for
them. A few days later, we ran into them in town and Luciano and Ester (a
delightful couple) offered to take us on a tour of the island. We
certainly accepted. Luciano is a gracious host and truly loves his San
Pietro. Luciano has been coming here for many years and had a delightful
time (as did we!) showing us many of his favorite spots on the island.
We also met a young British couple, Richard and Mary on their S & S 34 foot sailing vessel Moon Cloud. They have been at anchor here for three weeks waiting for the weather to clear so they could continue their trip. Rob and I had them on board and they were full of all kinds of good information for us as they know the Spanish coast very well.
The heavy winds did arrive. Rob felt the boat was secure, so we took the ferry to Sardinia, rented a car and went traveling for three days. We took as many back roads as possible, going high into the mountains. Here we found small villages snugged up for winter. We came a across a modern tradition (if there is such a thing)...murals. Each village was painted with its own murals. We found contemporary, religious and realistic themes. Each was unique and created with great skill. (note opening photo at top of page)
During this land trip, Rob was reading the DH Lawrence book Sea and Sardinia given to us by our friend Ruth. This novel was written in the 1930's when Lawrence visited this mountainous region. As we were driving, we found we were following a narrow gauge railroad track winding its way up the mountain. Lawrence took this train in the 30's and thoroughly described the experience of the train trip and the mountain villages. This gave us a wonderful perspective on what were were experiencing. Things have not changed that much since the 1930's!
The day was sunny and warm and we took a walk along the same rail tracks described in Sea and Sardinia. We walked in a forest of cork trees, some harvested of their bark, showing the burning brick red color of the wood. We found wild flowers, wild berries, a small spring....lots of intricate forest sights and smells. Our senses were in high mode. This experience may not seem like much to a land person, but when you live at sea, small things of nature become very important. We found dates on the rails of 1885-1888, the same rails DH Lawrence traveled on.
We traveled on to the higher mountains to find the Naragic Village of Tiscali. Following a dirt road, we entered the spectacular Lanaitto Valley to find the trail head to this hidden village. I went a good part of the way up the track, but it soon became obvious I did not have on the right gear...the terrain became very rough and difficult. So I headed back down the trail at a leisurely pace (view and bird watching) while Rob continued on. Here is his description of his journey....
A steep, rough trail leads to a high narrow cleft between two massive rocks which form Mount Tiscali. This mountain is situated in the highest part of the island of Sardinia. Traversing on, I came across a glimpse down into a hollow many feet below me. I did not know it at the time but I was looking down into the Nuragic village of Tiscali!
The village was built inside a cone shaped structure which once had been a cave and then collapsed (prior to the village being built). The opening created by the collapse of the cave roof was covered with vegetation.
Little is known of the people who inhabited this village of about sixty huts as no official digs have been carried out. One would have to assume that people fled here from homes in the valley below because of warring neighbors or the arrival of the Romans. It is very unlikely that this was anything other than a temporary home as there is no evidence of a permanent water source for growing crops or raising animals in this rocky terrain. The village remains a tantalizing mystery!
Rob and I covered many miles in a short time, and returned to Sea Fever a bit tired but feeling good. Our British friends had left, so we knew the weather must have turned to their favour. Our Italian friends noticed we had returned (they could see us from their apartment) and invited us to a most enjoyable and delectable dinner. It turned out to be a farewell dinner as the weather was perfect for us to be on our way.
We were thinking of crossing to the Balearic Islands, but the weather was good and time we had...so we decided to continue north along the western Sardinian Coast. We explored bays along the way, but chose to spend a few days in the northern bay of Capo Caccia. The bay is "landlocked" and has the reputation of being a good shelter in many wind directions.
We anchored in Cala del Bollo (southwestern part of bay) and settled in to enjoy the view and plan some activities. We took a walk to the small town and treated oursleves to an ice cream. We watched a running race and went up the the lighthouse, admiring the wild rocky headland which marks the entrance to the bay.
Most nights were very comfortable except for one....about 1:00 in the morning, Sea Fever was suddenly being tossed around like a cork! The wind direction had changed and the sea in the bay was up and knocked our tight anchor loose. We were dragging a bit, so we quickly got our wits together and upped anchor to find a calmer spot in the bay. With the strong surges, getting the anchor in took a long time and I was bouncing around as well, holding on to the bow for all my worth!
We enjoyed this area for five or six days prior to crossing to the Balearic Islands.
