The ferry from Villa San Giovanni to Messina is quick and easy. We booked the ferry online but somehow arrived about two hours earlier than the time we had booked. There was absolutely no issue getting on regardless of selected departure time. It appears as long as you have a validated ticket, times are irrelevant. Awesome Italy.
We met Rocky the parrot in a roadside cafe on the way to the ferry. He was perfectly happy to sit on my finger while i cooed at him.
Sicily – Terraces d’Orlando – Capo d’Orlando. We chose to avoid the tourist hot spots of Sicily. Capo d’Orlando is more of an Italian holiday location, although it was also full of permanent locals. Although the apartment was a bit dated, it was spacious, right on the beach and had a huge balcony perfect for watching the incredible sunsets. The tiny pool gradually became greener each day until it resembled a large manky pond. We avoided it and floated in the brilliantly sparkling warm sea.
Every evening we joined the folk promenading along the beachfront. It was a fantastic walk. Apart from the the stunning sunsets, beach club restaurants overlooking the water opened up as the sun went down, lining the pavement. We walked every night enjoying the sunsets and people watching – and checking out what was on their plates!
Water clarity was excellent. Sparkling like crystals. Although a bit fresh getting in it was delicious once wet and super deep right off the shore. Two steps and it was up to my armpits and the sea water was soooo super buoyant. I got a bit of a shock getting back into a swimming pool and losing that wonderful floaty feeling. The pebbly beach wasn’t exactly easy to walk or sit on, but the water was too good to resist and we swam every day. Brilliant.
Most nights we cooked and ate in the apartment watching the sunset from our balcony before an evening stroll, however we did sample the most amazing pizzas at one of the Beach Bar restaurants. The pizzas were enormous. The dough was superb, so good i was annoyed i couldn’t finish it!! For the second time i was drawn to the ‘sausage’ pizza. And again, the sausage i thought would be some type of home made speciality ended up being a frankfurt, a blooming hot dog sausage. I couldn’t believe i fell for it a second time. We it picked off and told the waiter it was a no no in Australia. He was highly amused. The semi freddo dessert was delicious, even though it looked like the chef had gone a bit wild with the sauce.
We only had four days in Sicily as i wanted to spend more time in Sardinia, so all too quickly we packed up and headed for Palermo and our flight to Cagliari. On the way we stopped in Cefalu for lunch. I couldn’t resist another plate of seafood pasta. It was very good. Cefalu was ridiculously full of Australian voices and extremely crowded. A very pretty seafront but overcrowded. Onward to Sardinia!
Cagliari surprised me. I expected a busy polluted city but instead was delighted by an old town with an evening vibe that kept us out late at night strolling back alleys, peeking into the many restaurants spilling out onto the streets. We stayed at La Ghirlanda B&B which was located in an excellant position at the bottom of the old town. We could easily have stayed here for five nights, two was nowhere near enough for this gorgeous town. Our B&B was very nice and super quiet, although breakfast was challenging. We made the mistake of ordering the panini which were stuffed full of ham and salami. We couldn’t face that breakfast. Generous portions, but not for brekky…we shared the croissants and tarts missing muesli and toast dreadfully.
Cagliari old town is visually and atmospherically a joy. Every turn has something delightful to see. It is joyous. By day the streets are quiet, but at night the old town is alive with colour and people.
We spent one morning walking around the botanical gardens.
Within the gardens there is a Roman cistern entered through a tunnel dug through rock. Fantastic echo in the domed construction kept us amused for quite a while.
The Bastione di Saint Remy sits up high overlooking Cagliari. The view is excellant and worth the climb. A very pretty building. We didn’t get a chance to go up in the evening to see the city lights but next time will do so!
I was fortunate to celebrate my birthday in this glorious city, and of course i had seafood pasta again…I wasn’t keen on the donkey steaks or horse fillet on the menu.
Hubby tried a selection of sweets from the lolly shop. Word of warning to tourists, the flamingos are fun, the sweets are crap. We threw most of them away. Erg.
Our two days passed way to quickly, wishing we had booked an extra two days we picked up our rental car and headed off to Nebida. Luck was with us, we scored an upgrade to a brand new flash Peugeot, a heck of a lot more comfortable than the Fiat Panda we had been rattling around in.
Aligia Chalet was an interesting resort style accommodation perched up high above a beautiful view of the sea. We were fortunate to have one of the few ground floor, poolside apartments with a covered patio. And it had had excellant air conditioning, absolutely an essential as we were hit by an ongoing heatwave during our stay. The host gave us a bottle of local wine named after the monolithic rock Pan di Zucchero visible just off the coastline and some Sardinian crispy thin flatbread – Pane Carasau. A lovely welcome.
There are several easy walks from the resort with views that blew us away. It is too beautiful. I can’t recommend Sardinia highly enough and cannot wait to return and see more of this glorious island. Nine days were literally only a taste and I want to see so much more. Night and day it is spectacular. Truly. The camera cannot capture the true beauty and feel of this dramatic landscape.
View of the pool at night from our accomodation. Not too shabby eh?
Porto Flavia was our beach of choice and the Warung beach club offered great food along with comfy sunbeds. The water was actually freezing, which was quite a surprise as our swims had all been quite warm elsewhere. However, with the crystal clear waters beckoning us, we braved the coolness and swam many times, cooling off from the incessant heat which stayed in the high thirties the whole time we were here. The water is ridiculously clear. I couldn’t stop squealing in excitement everytime we hit the beach. Colours varied throughout the day depending on the sunshine, wind and tides. It was extraordinary. When the wind settled, the surface was glasslike. Truly a magical experience. once again, photos do not do it justice.
Iglesias was our nearest big town. It has a small, pretty old town and we made regular trips to the larger supermarkets but i preferred Nebida with it’s stunning views and cute little town.
Our six weeks in beautiful Italy came to an end. I sadly packed my bags. I needed a month here, not nine days. We have booked four days to revisit Rome before flying back to freezing Melbourne. The two bedroom apartment in central Rome we had booked was cancelled at the last minute by an unscrupulous property manager but fortunately we were able to find two rooms in an airconditioned hotel – a necessity when the heatwave continued with daily temperatures not dropping below 37 celsius. Unfortunately it was quite a long walk from the main attractions – and exorbitant last minute rates. Fortunately, the rooms had excellant air conditioning and a magnificent view of the Vatican from the rooftop breakfast room. Unfortunately, as the heatwave intensified the hotel had a power blackout that put the lift out of action – were were on the fifth floor – and turned off the air conditioning for about 8 hours. Ah well, it makes for interesting memories.
Walking around Rome in high 30’s C is not easy. The summer crowds are intense. I have never seen this beautiful city so clogged with tourists. But we are in bella Roma, it is the last four days of our trip, so we brave the heat and crowds and manage to see quite a bit despite sweating profusely.
The Trevi Fountain was ridiculously crowded night and day. I laughed, it was insane.But still spectacular as the first time i saw it when there were only a reasonable spattering of tourists and i jostled my way to the water’s edge to toss in a coin.
We checked out the usual tourist hot spots. Everything in Rome needs to be seen by both day and night. Don’t miss seeing it at night when Rome is lit up and magical.
Even at the peak of summer tourist season, it is still possible to escape the crowds. We wandered through many quiet back streets parallel to the major tourist thoroughfares with barely a soul in sight.
We did the tourist thing and hired a golf buggy to traverse the gardens of Villa Borghese. Excellent views over Rome but the gardens are quite run down and not terribly inspiring. The heat was probably not helping as everything looked quite parched. We had a fun hour racing masses of other people on a variety of wheels from push bikes through to a train.
The Museum of Modern Art was a good half day trip with a nice lunch in the restaurant and good air conditioning!! An interesting mix of art work and not crowded.
Although i’m a little perplexed by some of the exhibits. Why? What???
The restaurant serves a decent lunch. Perfect on a hot day. And it is licensed if you require alcohol.
A visit to Rome is not complete without the illegal gladiator photos. Our daughter did this ten years ago as a teenager. We had to have an updated set of photos. We bargained over his fee. I offered him two Euros. He asked for ten but graciously accepted four. Very amusing performance. Well worth a few gold coins.
It is impossible to ever see all of Rome. This was my fourth visit and i am still not over it. There is so much to delight. A good pair of walking shoes is essential. If you don’t walk it, you don’t see it.
Love this chalkboard – very Traditional Roman food???
I love Rome. Every corner you turn there is something to catch your eye and delight you. I will come again.
simplethingstraveller 