Safe Driving in Sardinia

Without a good public transportation system on the island of Sardinia, we decided to rent a car to help get us around. We chose a small car knowing many of the roads would be smaller and parking would be much easier......which is true if you are lucky enough to find a spot. Fortunately it was October and there were fewer tourists on the road which made it a bit easier.......provided you stayed clear of the crazy Italian drivers who like to drive very fast.

Our first stop was in the capital city of Cagliari along the southern coast. We spent a full day walking around the hilly city, starting at the 12th century Castle of San Michelle up high above the city (a city within itself) and then immersed ourselves in the old historic centre below with some Roman ruins and narrow laneways. Escaping the busy city we drove all the way to the NE corner of the island (a leisurely 4 hours) with a plan to slowly work our way back to Cagliari. We picked a a rustic looking but well built B&B granite walled room, 20 km's inland from the coast in a rural area of Arzachena as our home for 3 nights. Our first full day took us over to the east coast where we acted like we were rich and famous, touring their haunts of Porto Cervo and Baja Sardinia. We saw some very nice homes, but some even nicer yachts that were 20-30 metres in length. Rather than shop in the Milan style stores, we purchased gelatos and watched the full-time staff clean every speck of dust off their owner's toys. On Day 2 we came down to earth heading for the northern coast near us, but it was fraught with disruptions that never would have occurred for the rich and famous. Our drive to Capo D'Orso was halted half way when the winding coastal road was closed for race car time trials over an 8 km stretch. After being shuttled into a beach parking lot we decided to watch the cars rev their engines and take off for a while then decided to find an alternate route to our second planned destination, Palau, where we enjoyed some harbourfront time and lunch. That went well until we visited an 1880's fortress beyond Palau and found it closed from 1-3 pm for "riposo" (siesta). We snapped a few photos of the fortress from below and moved on. Our haphazard tour was not over. After returning to Capo D'Orso just as the time trials were finished we found the parking lot and entry gate closed to the short hike to the popular The Bear rock formation. After a short riposo wait (till 3 pm) the entry gate opened but not the parking lot. Together with the other visitors we all made 3 point turns on the small dead-end street in search of roadside parking spots. We then made our way back and up to the top of the hill where we used our imagination to look at the large weather formed rock that was the main attraction, along with the scenic 360 degree views of the coast and villages below. We decided to call it a semi-successful day and headed home for some nice Italian wine, which we felt we earned.

Departing Arzachena, we drove from the east coast over to the west coast, stopping in Alghero for several more days. Along the way we made a slight detour to the town of Castelsardo and it's hilltop walled castle area, where we walked along the cobblestone alleys and visited a few museums. Alghero had it's own Old Town which we visited several times since it was only a 20 minute walk from our guest house. A trip to the beautiful Neptune's Grotto (cave) was unsuccessful due to high winds making for a risky entry into the seaside cave. Pocahontas was less disappointed since it meant we didn't have to descend 650 steps to the cave and back up again after. On another day we drove down the winding coastal road to the charming town of Bosa where we spent most of the day.

Tomorrow we will drive further south to Oristano, another coastal town. The seafood has been awesome and we are looking forward to more.

While in Cagliari, we walked up to the Castello di San Michelle which was surrounded by a moat. The views of Cagliari below were stunning.

Walking back down to the historic centre of Cagliari we came across an ancient Roman amphitheatre.

Our 'rustic room' patio, which was recently built, in a rural area outside of Cagliari. The inside was well designed and it was a pleasant stay

The beach area in Baja Sardinia, still quiet early in an October morning. There were many nice sandy beaches on the east side of the island, with more rocky ones on the west (but better for water sports).

Some modest seaside homes in Porto Cervo, a very wealthy seaside town. It was a favourite get-away for rich Europeans and the shops were ready for them to visit.

The northern seaside town of Castelsarda. Sardinia has a rich history that many European dynasty's relished so all of the coastal towns and cities had castles and fortresses to try and protect the ruler's at the time. It also meant a lot of hillside walks for the interested tourists.

Alghero Old Town at night when we walked there for dinner. Every day has been in the 20's so far in Sardinia, so night time dinners outdoors were popular.

Bosa, another coastal town with some good exercise to reach the Castle. We finished our visit with a fabulous late lunch at a well regarded restaurant.

An Old Town home in Bosa with some happy plants. The coastal drive from Alghero was very scenic to drive both there and back.

A few of the 650 stairs required to reach the Neptune Grotto (cave) just north of Alghero. The steps go all the way down to the shoreline and unfortunately the winds that day made it too risky to enter the cave so we will have to be satisfied with internet pictures.