2007: a short holiday in southern Sardinia

A short holiday, of one week, staying at Pinus Village, on the coast south of Cagliari, a base for exploring the surroundings. I have visited Elba several times, the islands of the Tuscan Archipelago, Corsica, but I never had the chance to visit Sardinia except for a short motorbike ride around Olbia many many years ago, when our hair was still very black. 1 July. I leave Rome on my Ducati to join my family, who have gone ahead of me to Civitavecchia to board for Cagliari. Behind me on the saddle is my wife Resi. Having reached the ancient port city I go to the boarding area, where my youngest daughter Giulia is waiting for me with my little granddaughter Elisabetta. When I am already lined up waiting to board the ship, I realise I do not have the motorbike documents with me; all I can do is say goodbye to those departing and go meekly back home. 2 July.

This time, equipped with the documents, here I am again at the majestic Michelangelesque ramparts of the port, ready to go up the boarding ramp of the ferry. Once on board I go in search of the seat assigned to me with the ticket, but the hall where it is located is closed. In early July we are not yet in the full flow of holiday migrations, moreover it is Monday, those starting their week of leave have already left; the travellers are not many and only one of the lounges with the seats is open. The weather is good, the crossing pleasant, the Tirrenia ship is not bad; sleeping in a seat is not the best, but it is always better than the "deck passage" to which my many previous holiday experiences had accustomed me. On arrival I am at the bow admiring the beautiful landscape of Cagliari and its surroundings.

The destination is Pinus Village, a coastal tourist settlement about forty kilometres further south. The coast road is quite busy, and I can only give a sideways glance at the beautiful salt marshes populated by remarkable birdlife. After about a dozen kilometres a more inland detour with dual-carriageway characteristics makes the going smoother. Back on the coast road I stay alert so as not to miss the turning for Pinus Village, a sizeable tourist settlement, inserted with a certain discretion within a lovely coastal pine wood, now only residential, but built years ago around a sailing centre, an initiative that did not succeed. Waiting for me on the beach, besides Resi, Giulia and Elisabetta, are another daughter, Eugenia, with her little children Cecilia and Simone. Eugenia had contacted a lady via the internet for a small villa in another settlement.

On arrival her disappointment was great, finding herself near the industrial settlement of Sarròch, which led her to a flat refusal and to the search for a convincing alternative, found precisely in Pinus Village. The house assigned to us is part of a complex of terraced houses, set halfway up a steep slope, with a small garden at the front facing the sea; the back opens onto a narrow courtyard bounded by a retaining wall and the rear wall of the house. A short path leads to a lovely beach, open to the east, on the sea, bounded to the north and south by rocky coast of modest height, higher to the north, lower to the south. We spend a few days in a relaxing seaside holiday. A settlement of considerable size within a pine wood is, in my opinion, not free from fire risks deriving from the carelessness of smokers or other causes.

Visiting the "Village" I notice in some clearings the signs of fires lit, evidently for barbecues. Although the pines are fairly far apart, it seems to me that lighting fires in summer in spaces covered by dry grass, and at least exposed to sea breezes, is an imprudent and deplorable operation; any spreading of the fire could have catastrophic and tragic effects, and this is what I feared in those first days of the holiday season, a fear reinforced later by the numerous fires that devastated the coasts of the Mediterranean during the summer. Interesting, for its panoramic openings and the luxuriant Mediterranean scrub surrounding it, is a path that climbs halfway up from the "Village" towards the south, a path that partly follows the route of a Roman road that connected Nora (Bithiae, ( of which the ancient paving is still visible for a short stretch.

We follow the path for a good stretch, but, wearing inadequate flip-flops, we are forced to give up. The next day by motorbike we reach the opposite end, quite valuable, but we find no sign of the archaeological site, which we have the feeling has disappeared beneath the current buildings; it nevertheless deserves a visit for the beauty of its nature and the striking Chia tower (.

5 July With our motorbike we venture to visit the southern end of the island. On the way there we follow the more inland route passing through Domus de Maria ( and Teulada ( set on the hills, connected by a winding road that is fun for motorcyclists, blown by a strong wind. We then descend into a flat area, less distinctive, heading for the island of Sant'Antioco ( connected to the mainland by an isthmus and a bridge. We visit the lovely main town and the nearby Cala Setta ( On the way back we follow the coast road, which lets us enjoy fascinating and varied panoramas.