Another History Lesson

Further along the SW coast of Sardinia we stopped for a few days in the charming town of Oristano, another spot with a rich history. Beyond walking around the old city, we drove over to the nearby Sinis Peninsula for some more history at the ancient Tharros site, established in the 8th century BC. Generations of people lived there until 1050 AD. The foundations of the tiny homes, thermal baths, aqueducts and more were still in place making for an interesting walkabout.

Leaving Oristano we drove further south to the SE corner of the island where we settled into the village of Santadi. Our first attraction was the Grotte Is Zuddas, a beautiful cave system beneath an inland hill where a tour guide took us into 5 cavernous spaces filled with amazing tubular formations, millions of years old and still growing. While we have been inside lovely cave systems before, this was the first time we had ever seen the very rare erratic aragonites, bright white, curvy, thread-like formations with no sense of gravity, growing in whichever direction suited them. It was a masterpiece of nature. The following day we drove across a causeway to the 'island' of Sant'Antioco where we only found a few of the ancient ruins we were hunting for. Some days it might be useful to be surrounded by tourists seeking the same treasures at unmanaged sites! All was not lost, returning to Santadi we (I) got to enjoy a fine wine produced locally and rated highly by the Wine Spectator. I would have loved to purchase some additional bottles to take with us but we were leaving the island the next day.

We are now back to the mainland, in Bari at the SW end of Italy, also known as the Heel of the Boot. Arrivederci. 

On our way to the Tharros archeological site from Oristanto we stopped first at the impressive historical museum in Cabras. Some of the artifacts shown dated back to earlier than the 8th century BC. The background picture is from the actual site.

I took this picture from the top of the rebuilt Tower of San Giovanni. The picture only covers about one third of the actual site. We walked around the whole site with a map that described each of the areas.

A view of the old town in Oristano taken from the top of the Tower of Mariano II, a king who had the tower built and named it after himself, of course. Most of the streets in the Old Town were much narrower and usually vehicle-free, making it a treat to walk around or sit outside for drinks or meals.

The Organ, inside the Grotte Is Zuddas cave system, near Santadi. This particle piece was damaged when the floor of the cave dropped almost a foot a million years ago.

This is an example of the rare and amazing aragonites that were all over one of the vast rooms in the cave. The tiny extensions that were slowly growing (1 cm every 1000 years), grew in all directions, defying gravity. Our guide referred to them as 'angel's hair'. They were more impressive in person.

We were unprepared when we came across this lovely beach in Porto Pino so we had to settle for lunch while watching others enjoy themselves. A few days earlier, near Oristano, we did get to have a swim in the Mediterranean on another nice sandy beach.