Best of Sardinia
It’s hard to do justice to a place like Sardinia in a blog post. The culture, the people, the food, and the landscape are so rich that even one visit can only scratch at the surface and leave you wanting more. We had the pleasure of spending a few days there at the end of July, on the tail end of our trip to Lake Garda and Corsica. Sardinia is just a stone’s throw from Corsica, so it made perfect sense to end our trip there. In addition to a quick ferry ride from the southern port of Bonifacio in Corsica, Sardinia can also be accessed by ferries from mainland Italy, as well as flights from various destinations. We actually started our vacation by taking a roundtrip flight from our home in Barcelona to Alghero, Sardinia and renting a car from the airport before embarking on a 2 week road trip through Italy and Corsica. We originally planned to rent a car from Barcelona and drive to Italy via the south of France, but found out that you can’t take a rental car from Spain onto any ferries (the longer version of this story on our Corsica post).
Having only taken a few weeks of Italian classes back in 2015 when we decided to move to Europe, we didn’t remember much more than buongiorno and sfogliatella when we arrived in Sardinia. Interestingly, Alghero used to be under Catalan rule so most locals there understand Catalan, and luckily for us, Spanish as well. So we got by with our Spanish and felt slightly more continental than just relying on English.
We spent half a day in Alghero watching the blue sea softly pound its walls, enjoying fresh seafood and walking around the old town with gelato in hand. We then drove across the island to catch the ferry to the mainland for the the first part of our trip to Lake Garda, stopping for a couple of hours in the afternoon for a quick dip at Spaggia del Piccolo Pevero, a heavenly beach on the northeastern part of the island. It was just a day, but it was a sweet start and it hinted at a journey filled with sunshine, warm seas and delicious food.
Birdcage decorations zigzag through Alghero.
After 10 days on the Italian mainland and then Corsica, we made our way back to Sardinia, ready to explore more. Our plan was to take the ferry from Corsica to Palau, Sardinia and from there head to the archipelago of La Maddalena, where we would spend a couple of days before exploring some of Sardinia’s other towns and beaches. But the day before we arrived, a storm was brewing and set to hit La Maddalena on the dates we had booked. We decided to make an impromptu change to our itinerary and felt that a non-beach destination would be ideal until the storm passed. In the end this worked out for the best because it gave us the opportunity to spend a couple of days at an agriturismo, which originally we didn’t think we had time to do. There are many agriturismos all over Sardinia (as well as throughout Italy), and our luck (or fate, or the booking.com people) took us to Saltara.
The road to Saltara
I am nostalgic just thinking about it, longing to be there once more. What made Saltara so special? Of course there was the lovely bucolic setting, the unbelievable food, the attention to detail. But above all, the warm hospitality won us over. Run by Natalia and Gian Mario, the farm has been in their family since 1800 and exudes an air of history going back generations. The strong connection to the land is obvious with the food literally being farm to table. Our little cottage felt cozy yet luxurious, with touches of local textiles reminding you that you could only be in Sardinia.
The reception at Saltara welcomes you at the start of a perfect stay.
Why, yes, I’ll take a dip before my Sardinian dinner, thank you.
The sweet living room in our Saltara cottage.
Then there was the food. The island is famous for its roast meats (roast suckling pig, or porceddu, in particular), and an agriturismo is the perfect place to dig in. Dinner at Saltara, whether in the dining room or al fresco on the patio, is something that we will remember and crave for a long time. I would definitely recommend visiting an agriturismo, and spending a night or two if possible, as one of the highlights of Sardinia.
This little piggy went to the grill.
Get in my belly: roasted grass-fed beef at Agriturismo Saltara.
Let’s talk more about the highlight that is Sardinian food. Perhaps most important of all is the bread. We heard that there are 400 or so types of bread there! The most famous is pane carasau. Also called carta musica (music paper), this crispy, paper-thin bread is served everywhere and with everything. Pane carasau is twice baked- this process removes all of the moisture, making it so crispy, and allowing it to last for a long time without molding. This was the perfect staple for Sardinian shepherds to carry on journeys without spoiling. A variety of this is pane guttiau, which has a touch of olive oil & salt. It is our new favorite bread and the first thing I did when we returned to Barcelona was look for it (thank God I found it at a specialty store carrying Italian imports). What’s another speciality that goes great with pane carasau? Pecorino. Fiore Sardo DOP, also known as pecorino Sardo, is made from unpasteurized sheep’s milk and is one of the most common cheeses on the island. This variety is sharp, tangy and delicious. The DOP (Denominazione di Origine Protetta) certification assures that the product has been made and packaged locally.
A mid-day treat of pane carasau, Fiore Sardo, nectarines, honey and chocolate hazelnut cream.
There are a lot of sheep and goats on Sardinia and just like there are infinite types of bread, there are numerous varieties of cheese. In addition to the sheep’s milk pecorinos, there are goat cheeses, ricottas, and of course the infamous casu marzu, or maggot cheese. Apparently it’s just what it sounds like, and it’s something of a local delicacy and legend. Casu marzu is now banned from sale and only available on the black market, but we were fine skipping it.
And what about all the fabulous pasta? No trip to Italy is complete without eating enough pasta to bring your pant size up a couple of inches, and Sardinia is no exception. Some of the unique pastas found here include:
Fregola: this small ball-shaped pasta is made with semolina flour and water. Sometimes served with a simple tomato & ricotta sauce, but most delicious with clams (fregola con le arselle). Get the recipe here.
Malloreddus, also called gnocchetti Sardi: this is a gnocchi shaped pasta often served with a sausage & tomato sauce (malloreddus alla campidanese).
Spaghetti con la bottarga: dried mullet fish roe, known as bottarga, grated over spaghetti is a popular dish all over the island, especially in coastal regions.
Zuppa gallurese: a very traditional dish with layers of stale bread, lamb’s broth, and fresh cow’s milk cheese, baked to perfection. It’s more like lasagne than a soup, and it’s absolutely delicious.
Some other Sardinian culinary specialties include:
Aragosta alla Catalana (Catalan style lobster): you’ll find this in Alghero on the western coast.
Insalata di polpo (octopus salad): a flavorful appetizer of fresh, boiled octopus, olive oil, garlic & parsley.
Seadas: Leave room for dessert (which I almost always found impossible in Sardinia!) and end your meal with one of these classic pastries filled with cheese and lemon peel. They’re fried and served hot with plenty of honey drizzled on top. Yummy!
Fregola con le arselle
Zuppa gallurese
A spread of 5 appetizers in Alghero, including insalata di polpo.
Last but definitely not least, are the beaches. These are divine shores that would be worth visiting even without the fabulous food and culture, although the combination is really what makes Sardinia shine. Being an island, you can imagine that Sardinia has an endless list of beautiful beaches to satisfy every taste. To the northeast, the archipelago of La Maddalena boasts some of the most pristine waters as it is a protected area under La Maddalena Archipelago National Park. The park includes the entire marine area of La Maddalena Archipelago, as well as the terrestrial area. As I mentioned, we didn’t make it there due to a storm, but we definitely plan to go next time.
Spaggia del Piccolo Pevero, in the northeast corner of Sardinia, is the beach we went to on our first day. It means “little Pevero” and it may be small, but it was incredibly beautiful. A half moon of soft sand and brilliant blue waters, it was perhaps our favorite. Adjacent to Piccolo Pevero, is its bigger sister, Spaggia del Grande Pevero. We didn’t go, but judging by proximity, it’s sure to be amazing.
Further south along the eastern coast, we spent a couple of days enjoying the gorgeous beaches of Spiaggia di Lu Impostu, Spiaggia La Cinta, and Cala Brandinchi (also known as Little Tahiti) in San Teodoro. The sand there is powdery and the shallow sea is astonishingly crystal clear. To sit in the sun or to swim? Seasoned San Teodoro beachgoers know that the best thing is to plop your beach chair right in the water. The shallow sea also makes these beaches perfect for families with small children. The only drawback to San Teodoro, especially if you like a chill atmosphere, is that its beaches have a party vibe. Girls in bikinis sparklier than the sea walk the strands while tanned young men from the mainland hitch up their shorts to tan even more. Summer hits fill the air. Normally this would be a vacation nightmare for us, but the beaches were really that beautiful that we lost ourselves in the dazzling sea, oblivious to the giant unicorn floaties. And yes, we’d go back in a heartbeat. So what does one do in San Teodoro after the daytime beach fun? You head to the delightful village to have dinner, walk around, and shop for jewelry and Sardinian woven textiles at one of the little shops or street market. You have some fresh fish and pasta, you have a drink al fresco at one of the many restaurant patios, you people watch. But the real reason you are there is for a gelato from BM&V Gelateria Artigianale. Crema al mascarpone, noci e fichi, mandalore e pistacchio croccante: you don’t have to speak Italian to know that these words translate to your wildest fantasies in a cone. With its luscious array of small batch flavors from fresh raw ingredients like milk, cream, ricotta, yogurt, and local fruits, BM&V rivals any gelateria in Florence (home of the world’s best gelato imho). It may just be the best meal (is ice cream a meal?) you have in Sardinia.
Spiaggia La Cinta
Spiaggia La Cinta
Little Tahiti: Cala Brandinchi
The only problem with Sardinia’s shores? We didn’t get to visit them all. So many beaches…so little time (story of my life). But we’ll definitely be back.
I hope you get to visit Sardinia and discover this magical island on your own. Between the culture, the food and beaches, there is no shortage of adventures to be had!
