A slice of Sardinia

Up close and personal with a wild boar

2012-11-21T15:36:00.001-08:00

Back in the summer I was driving the road from Isola Rossa to Aggius. It was about nine at night and my family were in the car having just enjoyed a lovely meal in a local pizzeria, when suddenly I heard a shout from the back seat and realised we were about to get up close and personal with a wild boar.
Amazingly I managed to swerve in time and the animal wandered off to die another day.
When I mentioned this to my friend Andrea in the bar half an hour later he told me that there are rules to abide by when you run over these creatures.
Apparently our porcine friends are a protected species there and if one is injured in a collision it is the driver's responsibility to make sure the swine is killed.
This has less to do with their 'protected' status and more to do with the fact that when a wild boar hits a car it causes a massive amount of damage, and in order to make a claim on the insurance you have to have prove that said damage was inflicted by a wild boar.
The only indisputable proof in the eyes of the law it seems is a corpse.

Stunning nighttime shot of Italy

2012-03-02T05:19:00.008-08:00

Check out this stunning nighttime shot of Italy captured by an astronaut from the International Space Station. Sardinia is visible in the bottom left of the photograph. Click to see a larger version

Sardinia sojourn for Martin Johnson

2012-02-23T06:41:00.001-08:00

I see former England rugby coach Martin Johnson has taken a lower profile role compared to his previous job. The World Cup-winning captain will head off to the Forte Village Resort in the south of Sardinia to coach the next generation of stars in the oval ball game in July of this year.
Should be a doddle compared to managing the drunken, dwarf tossing chaos that became synonymous with England's appearance at last year's Rugby World Cup

Newport Taekwon-do team clean up at martial arts championship

2012-02-23T06:29:00.000-08:00

Well I'm currently laid up with pneumonia which gives me plenty of time to sit down with the papers.
Congratulations to Gassor's Tournament Team who are based at the Martial Arts and Fitness Centre in Newport. They jetted off to Sardinia to compete in the Mediterranean Open Championships in Sardinia and came back with a massive haul of 30 medals
Read more about here

Sardinia shhhhivvvers under a blanket of snow

2012-02-20T10:42:00.000-08:00

Our beloved Aggius found itself in the middle of an Arctic blast last week - much like the Wales did in 2010.
We're hoping the pipes in our house haven't burst, but unbelievably the village looks even more beautiful in the winter than it does when the sun's out.

Summer listening, sorted

2012-02-09T09:31:00.000-08:00

Though this has nothing to do with either Italy or Sardinia - other than it'll be my summer record while I'm driving around this year - the new Van Halen album is the toppermost of the poppermost, as they probably used to say on Radio 1 back in the 70s and 80s.
Buy it or stay a loser.

Counting the cost of a holiday rental car

2012-02-08T16:13:00.000-08:00

A brief warning for those planning on renting a car in the coming months while on holiday.
A couple of years ago we booked a vehicle with a reputable company we always use for three weeks in the summer.
As we only take cabin bags we scooted past the holidaymakers hauling their suitcases off the carousel and figured we'd be sat in our local bar before last orders.
When we reached the car hire desk however we were informed that, unlike the previous five occasions that we'd used them, we would need to have a credit card in the name of the main driver in order to secure the vehicle for the duration of the rental.
Of course neither of us had both our credit cards (with PIN) AND driver's licence and were refused the car that we had already paid for. And though the company reimbursed the few hundred pounds we'd paid immediately, we found ourselves forking out almost £1,500 for a replacement car.
We were lucky. It was one of the rare occasions we actually had some cash in the bank. However while we were in Sardinia last year I saw the very same thing happen to half-a-dozen other travellers.
So remember. Whether you're in Italy, Spain or any part of the globe take your licence, the credit card you used to book the car, the PIN number and if you're not the main driver get him or her to take all of the above too. Or it really could cost you dear.

Sardinia takes the lead in biomass research

2012-02-08T15:57:00.000-08:00

Sardinians aren't exactly the tree hugger types. During our first few years there we were the butt of jokes from friends each time we asked where we could recycle our glass bottles.
Conversely islanders seemed to embrace the idea of wind farms while in the UK we were too busy whining about the noise/view/effect on house prices - all cobblers by the way, trust me there's one near us. So it's encouraging to see that they're also leading the charge when it comes to using organic waste to produce clean energy.
Britain's NIMBYs have been warned.

So I was thinking this afternoon...

2012-01-27T11:18:00.000-08:00

that having lost my job and neglected my once much-loved blog that maybe it was time I started a new one up. Imagine my surprise to find that those lovely people at Blogger hadn't shut down the original.
Yay! 'm back

Help, I need a rental car!

2008-08-07T07:44:00.000-07:00

What in the name of Jesus, Mary and Joseph is going on!

It's August and naturally I'm searching for a rental car from Olbia airport for our two weeks in the sun. I trawl the net my standard 7 days before we leave, and what do I find?

NO BLOODY RENTAL CARS that's what!!!!!!!!

No rental cars from Avis! No rental cars from Hertz!! But most unbelievable of all

NO BLOODY RENTAL CARS FROM AUTO EUROPE!!!

The only car I can find is going to cost me a staggering £324 for two weeks.

I've never paid that in 5 years of travelling there and I don't intend to now.

CAN SOMEONE PLEASE HELP!!!!!

Bike Championships hit Olbia

2008-07-10T04:32:00.000-07:00

The Sardinian port of Olbia is set to host the next round of the S1 and S2 World Supermoto Championships this weekend.

Bernd Hiemer is on top of the S1 standings while Adrien Chareyre is first in the S2 class. In the UEM European series Oliver Pope is first in the S3 class while Heino Meusburger heads the Open class.

Read the full article at superbike-news.co.uk

Sardinia has world's highest level of Type 1 diabetes

2008-07-09T04:13:00.000-07:00

So, maybe Sardinia isn't the as healthy as we first thought.

TV and newspapers reported earlier this year that due to their diet Sardo's have one of the longest life expectancies in the world, but if Canadian web site CBC is correct maybe we're not getting the whole story.

It turns out that the area on the planet with the highest level of Type 1 diabetes is the sunny, sunny Italian island of Sardinia. Novosibirsk in Siberia (think a locale situated north of Flin Flon), had an incidence rate less than one-third that of Kuwait, two-and-a-half times lower than Puerto Rico, and below that of Sao Paolo and parts of Tunisia.

"We are extremely interested in the high rates of Type 1 diabetes in Sardinia. It is anyone's guess about the reasons, " said Cedric Garland, Diego professor of family and preventative medicine at University of California at San and author of the report.

"Our guess is that it could be that some residents of the island have an unusual dietary intake pattern, or a higher-than-usual prevalence of an inborn defect in metabolism of vitamin D that interferes with absorption, metabolism or action of vitamin D."

Kitchen nightmare

2008-07-07T03:53:00.000-07:00

All the talk in the media about jail sentences for those caught carrying knives reminds me of a story one of our Sardinian friends told me.

A chef by trade, and a wide-eyed bundle of twitchy nervous energy at the best of times, he was working in a bar on the coast during the tourist season. Driving home to his loved ones in the early hours of the morning he was stopped by the police who insisted on looking in the boot of his car.

Within minutes he'd been arrested and was on his way to the local police station. For a short while he was flummoxed as to exactly what crime he'd committed. Until he remembered that among the large picnic blanket and gaffa tape stored in the trunk were the tools of his trade.

A very large, very sharp collection of kitchen knives!

If it's August it must be...

2008-07-03T05:23:00.000-07:00

Costa Smeralda in Northern Sardinia is among the top spot for second home owners according to Canadian site Canoe.

The spot attracts Europeans as well as those from the Arab states, most of whom stick around post-August for the Sardinia Cup, an annual regatta.

With August almost upon us the one thing you can guarantee is there'll be an influx of major sporting and film stars over the next few weeks.

Human potato Wayne Rooney and his other half spent their – rather wet - honeymoon there, Man United striker Ronaldo has already been keeping European paps busy cavorting around the Costa Smeralda with his missus before handing the baton over to the Redknapps.

All of which reminds me of August last year when the other half's daughter spotted in one of the Italian tabloids that L Ron Hubbard's unofficial PR man, Tom Cruise was present in fat cat's playground the Costa Smeralda. Cue an hour sweating profusely in bumper to bumper traffic as we and a few thousand other peasants trotted off to gawp at the rich people.

A walk around the harbour revealed that despite having multi million pound gyms in their multi billion pound yachts Russian oligarchs like nothing better than to exercise in a makeshift, elevated exercise area set up in a harbour car park. Much better for staring down your noses at the paupers I guess.

Vroom by the Sea

2008-06-28T07:53:00.000-07:00

Travel writer Peter Moore has just released his new book, Vroom by the Sea, though sadly it's only published in New Zealand and Australia at the moment.

The follow-up to 2005's Vroom with a View, it follows Moore's travels on his vintage (and very orange) Vespa 200 - dubbed Marcello - from Livorno on mainland Italy to the interior of Sardinia, one eye on the clock as it ticks down to the birth of his first child.

Will Marcello go the distance? Can Moore finish his tour and make it back to London in time for the birth? Suppose we'll have to wait to find out.

In the meantime why not check out his web site.

Spain triumph against Italy

2008-06-24T08:44:00.000-07:00

It's not just in the world of football that the Spanish are giving the Italians a beating.

The Sardinia Rolex Cup organized by the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda saw Spain trounce the home team for a second time, winning by 11 points over five days of racing.

The event came to a close on Saturday (21 June) with Germany, Southern Europe and Russia in fourth, fifth and sixth respectively.
Read the original article

Call this a holiday

2008-06-14T08:25:00.001-07:00

Two weeks back from Sardinia and this is my first post since our return. Shocking.

Anyhow our 5 days of respite from the drudgery of real life in Cardiff proved to be nothing but a whirlwind of meetings, work, bill paying and shopping.

A trip to Tempio to sort out the water rates, buy paint and generally clear the decks was just the beginning of what felt like the most exhausting holiday of my life.

Anyhow the house got a freshen up, new linen was bought, cleaners were booked, our funds replenished and we came away a few hundred quid lighter.

Still, after showing our friends the around the village (and the island) I was happy to find that they loved the place. Peaceful, calming, a place you could lose yourself just sitting on the balcony and watching the world go by was the general consensus.

Even the short drive to the beach - a bone of contention for some - didn't put them off.

'How could it when the scenery's so gorgeous'

I was beaming.

At present we have people staying there for three weeks. As you can see I've now added a webcam feed to the site (cheers Wilco!) and so I find myself checking the site each day and praying for good weather.

Barring one or two dodgy days so far so good.

Right must go. Bruce Springsteen awaits.

Italian government to build bridge to Sicily

2008-05-23T11:12:00.000-07:00

"It has been dreamt of since Roman times, and plans have repeatedly sketched out on the drawing board only to be torn up because of cost, bureaucratic obstacles and fears of earthquakes and Mafia involvement.

But today the new centre Right goverment of Silvio Berlusconi declared that an historic two-mile bridge from the mainland to Sicily over the Straits of Messina - the longest single span suspension bridge in the world - was an “urgent priority” and that work on it would start 'soon'”.
Read the full report on The Times site

The Times reveal Sardinia's best beaches (in their opinion)

2008-05-22T03:53:00.000-07:00

"Sardinia has some of the world’s most idyllic beaches. Mile upon mile of pearly-white sands dip into waters of dazzling shades of aquamarine and emerald green. Elsewhere, rugged cliffs plunge into the sea and tiny coves and picturesque harbours beg to be explored. The waters really are swimming-pool-blue — and the sandy coves are often deserted.

Locals say that God created Sardinia by stepping on it with his sandal — and ‘Sandalyon’ (sandal) was the ancient name given to it by the Greeks and Phoenicians. The coastline of almost 1250 miles (2000 km) equates with a quarter of the total Italian coast, indented by tiny coves and picturesque harbours."
The Times pick the best beaches in Sardinia

Italy announce squad for Euro 2008

2008-05-20T07:39:00.000-07:00

Italy coach Roberto Donadoni has announced his team for Euro 2008.

The provisional 24-man squad is:

Amelia (Livorno), Buffon (Juventus), De Sanctis (Sevilla); Barzagli (Palermo), Cannavaro (Real Madrid), Chiellini (Juventus), Grosso (Lyon), Materazzi (Internazionale), Panucci (Roma), Zambrotta (Barcelona); Ambrosini (AC Milan), Aquilani (Roma), Camoranesi (Juventus), De Rossi (Roma), Gattuso (AC Milan), Montolivo (Fiorentina), Perrotta (Roma), Pirlo (AC Milan); Borriello (Genoa), Cassano (Real Madrid); Del Piero (Juventus), Di Natale (Udinese), Quagliarella (Udinese), Toni (Bayern Munich).

Loeb takes Rally of Sardinia title

2008-05-20T07:20:00.001-07:00

Sébastien Loeb, the four-time World Rally Champion won the Rally of Sardinia last Sunday the 40th win of his career.

The French driver beat Mikko Hirvonen of Finland who still heads the drivers' standings on 43 points, three in front of him.

Expensive tastes

2008-05-19T08:16:00.000-07:00

Sardinian saffron could soon become the most expensive spice in the world.

The Italian government have asked the European Commisssion to give the product, first introduced to Sardinia by Phoenician traders, PDO (Protected Desination of Origin) status.

The spice which is gathered from the stigma of the crocus flower is incredibly labour intensive and can command prices of up to 7,500 euros a kilo.

Italy claims the special properties of its Sardinian saffron - its colouring power and aroma - stem directly from the soil and climate of the Meditterranean island.

If the application is successful the spice will be marketed with a specific label bearing the PDO logo.

Rally d'Italia

2008-05-16T04:27:00.000-07:00

The World Rally Championship moves to Sardinia for the the Rally d’Italia with Australian Chris Atkinson looking for a top five place after four podium finishes out of five this year.

Atkinson has never placed higher than tenth in the event which takes place between 16-18 May across the north of the island.

“I’m not thinking about another podium finish, but just concentrating on our pace and fighting as high up as we can,” he said.

“It’s important to drive smoothly and without mistakes in Sardinia, as the roads are very technical and narrow, but it’s a rally I enjoy.

“I just hope I can have a good event and run competitively. No talk of podiums, but well target a top five and see how things go from there.”

Follow the action on the official site

"No cheeses, no cheeses!"

2008-05-08T06:32:00.000-07:00

Only a few weeks now until we head back to Sardinia and already waiters across the island are beginning to sweat.

Soon their restaurants will reverberate to the sound of my better half frantically demanding “no cheeses, no cheeses!” in their mother tongue as she orders every course.

The other half you see is a fussy eater. Of course like all fussy eaters she denies this – the “no cheeses” thing apparently a result of migraines as a child.

Strangely though on our first holiday together in Greece she developed a liking for stefado. For the uninitiated stefado is a sort of beef stew, which as you may or may not know contains goat’s cheese, an ingredient the other half insists is “optional”.

Anyhow this food aversion has recently grown to include hamburgers, eel, veal, mussels, mackerel...

Add in our two guests – combined dislikes: fish of any kind, prawns, lamb and beef – and I only hope no one suggests eating in while we’re away.

Tax shock for mega rich

2008-05-07T07:34:00.000-07:00

As us the world braces itself for the much-anticipated global recession spare a thought for the super rich.

Sardinia’s annual luxury tax – that’s the tax applied to private aircraft and those enormous yachts the likes of Roman Abramovich swan about on during the summer - has been changed to a weekly tax.

The tax will apply from 1 June - 30 September for pleasure craft "using any Sardinian port facility, landing stages and mooring points located in regional territory," according to a statement released by the Sardinian Joint Regional Council, though yachts moored out will are exempt from the tax.

Yachting web site The Triton reported that, “one week of the new rate is equal to a quarter of the old seasonal tax, so for a megayacht between 30 and 60 meters, the new weekly rate is 2,500 euros compared to 10,000 euros for the season last year.”

Bad news - and an extra ten grand – if you're spending the summer on the island.

Not that it seems to bother most people.

"When I was there, I never paid it," said one captain - who presumably wished to remain anonymous.

"I didn’t volunteer it and nobody every came around to collect it.”