My Adventurous Stay In Sardinia

 

Sardinia on a Map

Sardinia (Sardegna in Italian) is an island in the Mediterranean to the west of Italy. Sardinia is most famous for its alluring turquoise waters and marvelous coastlines. The interior of Sardinia is mountainous so getting around isn’t easy! I would personally recommend renting a car for the duration of your stay (they are normally available at the airport, or if you’re arriving by ferry then it is preferable to bring your own car). Although there is public transport available it is not the most reliable and quite difficult to use.

We landed at the Olbia airport and went straight to the car rental center. After we left our hotel we drove to the Giants’ Tomb (Su Mont‘e s’Abe). It is an archeological site located in the province of Sassari. 

Su Mont‘e s’Abe rock formation

There was also a tower a few hundred meters away from the site which me and my brother climbed. It is a difficult path so be sure to bring some suitable footwear if you plan on climbing up the hill. On the top we were greeted by a breathtaking view, it is definitely worth a visit. A nice Instagram story on the top is easily doable!

Next we set off to the city center, finding a parking spot was quite challenging and after we finally did find one the mood was ruined, one small annoyance and we would all erupt like volcanos. We wandered down the Corso Umberto which is the main road and after smelling piquant meat several times we decided to sit down at a restaurant right in the center. 

“Per me per favore Su Porcheddu”, I muttered insecurely in my best Italian accent. I pointed at the name in the menu just in case. After starving for 15 minutes that felt like an eternity I whiffed the scent of a roasted pig.

“Grazie”.

The dish looked mouth-watering, the pork sparkled, it was coated in a shiny layer of fat and surrounded by lentil leaves. The servant left and we all dug into the food, the suckling pig was succulent, it melted in my mouth, I took a sip of the San Pellegrino soda and after finishing said:

“Arrivederci”.

"Su Porcheddu" dish

We got into the car and started driving towards the Porto Istana beach, everything seemed normal until my brother noticed that our fuel was on E and the light flashed telling us to refuel the car. We tried adding a stop on the Waze app but it was showing us that there is no connection. As the needle moved closer and closer to 0 at an alarming rate, the phone finally found a connection. As we were sailing down a small hill we managed to find a gas station that was just 500 meters away. As we were almost there our worst fear came true. The car stopped responding to the pedals. We still had some speed left over and my brother pulled into the emergency lane. To the right were rocks and to the left was the road, with no pedestrian path. I took some money and ran to the gas station on a thin painted white line.

“Hello please I need some diesel, I have 20 euros and I need it in a canister.” I blurted at the scruffy-looking employee standing by the hoses. He strongly reminded me of a pig, he was fat and covered in dirt, his pinkish skin didn't help forget the delicious meal that I had just eaten.

“Scusi, puó ripetirlo?”

“This is where my Spanish skills learned in school will come in handy,” I thought to myself.

“Necesito dieselo, tengo veinte euros y needo en un canistero.”

"I really hope that my Spanish teacher never finds out about this", I told myself as I closed my eyes in shame and let out a deep sigh.

Surprisingly he understood my gibberish as he nodded his head and returned with a 10 litre canister. I shoved the 20 euros in his hand and ran back.

Safely we managed to reach the hotel, we were all exhausted and enervated.

That was my adventurous day in Sardinia.