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Italy, Sardinia: Universe in the Mediterranean
Five motorcyclists had enough of the long cold Austrian winter. They left to find spring. Between the turquoise blue sea and the blooming flowers they found it in Sardinia. They, like everyone else who travel Sardinia, will definitely be back.
“This is like a fairy tale. Or is it a dream, and I’m not here at all?” It’s May, a few days before Whitsuntide (an Austrian Holiday). Andy, Sveti, Henoch, Christa, and I, Christian, had been half-frozen less than 24 hours before. In the chilly daybreak, we left from Tamsweg, the cool Lungau district. Those who stayed behind shook their heads. Too bad for them with their numb fingers and cold noses! That’s the Austrian mountains in spring.
As we ride across the Austrian countryside to Italy, everything started to change. In front of us was the sea, with its breathtaking blue-green color almost impossible to describe. We are surrounded by aromatic fragrance from the blooming flowers and silence. Only the wind lisps quietly. Loneliness. Only the five of us and our four bikes stand in the landscape, which appears in an almost unreal light shining deep into our souls.
But Sardinia welcomes us with a heavy thunderstorm and clouds in all shades of color we would expect to see only in a Hollywood film. After an eight-hour ride on the highway, from a freezing to a finally mild southern breeze, we board the ferry in Livorno, Italy. No problem. We made reservations in advance with the ÖAMTC (Austrian Motor Vehicle and Bike Touring Club). Inside the ferry, the crew secures our motorbikes properly and we take our luggage up to the cabins. As we are on vacation, our next stop is at the bar for a nice glass of red wine. We are happy and excited and forget about the time. One last glass of the delicious Italian red wine before we find our way into bed. We have to get up early the next day. We will arrive in Olbia, Sardinia, at 9:00 a.m.
After arriving on the island, we continue where we had stopped last night. We flee from the unwelcome thunderstorm into the next Caffè-Bar. We kill time by drinking a creamy cappuccino. After the first shower is over, we get a bit of sunshine, but the rain shower returns immediately. Now we can really say that the Sardinian baked goods are excellent. We tried them all.
Finally the sun comes out from between the clouds. With full stomachs and fluttering hearts we start: Sardinia is waiting for us!
We pass Olbia and many gorgeous hotels. We come along the Costa Smeralda, which belongs to Prince Aga Khan, and follow it up north. At first we are a little fainthearted because we still feel the Austrian chill in our bones and the rather short night behind us. But we relax more and more, ride smoothly and enjoy the tour. Finally, the long ride together with the breeze from the sea gives us a ravenous appetite!
In Santa Teresa we take a break and stop at an inviting trattoria. A perfect opportunity to experience the Sardinian menu: fish in an enormous variety. We finish our lunch with a good espresso.
The sky is now deep blue and the sun shines brightly. We have to get back on the road. Although the decision is hard to make: cruising and enjoying the curves or just looking and looking and looking. The desire to stop becomes unbearable after one hour’s ride. We make a photo stop at the Costa Paradiso. “The most beautiful tour of my life,” Henoch says, patting my shoulder to add, “and maybe the best memory of my life.”
That is only the beginning. What awaits us later in the mountains? First, we have to find a place to stay for the night. Time goes too quickly and we stay in Castelsardo. It is picturesque, situated on a rock formation 120 meter high. The small village of 5000 people bewitches us.
We take our luggage to our room and change clothes. Outside the window the mountain is calling us. From the top we have a breathtaking view over the Golfe dell’ Asinara. The narrow alleys reveal inviting shops, with many types of arts and crafts....We have to remind ourselves we are here with motorbikes and the space in our cases is limited. The evening is short, simply too short! To have dinner in five minutes would denounce us as Philistines. In Italy, and Sardinia is a part of Italy, you dine long and with ardor. You can’t have it all.
The next day begins like a holiday story. Bright sun! Let’s go! This time through the “botanic.” The coast is a fascinating experience for a motor biker’s heart. We leave Castelsardo and come through Sedini, Nulvi and Sassari to Villanova Monteleone. You can hardly find the words to describe it. The term “straight” obviously does not exist in the Sardinian vocabulary of road building and, no traffic! Oh the asphalt mixture! Where did they hide the glue? The condition of the roads allows even the firmest tires the most sloping position, down to the footrest sliding contact. The beautiful May sun heats the last chill out of our bones.
Every time we make a stop we meet friendly people who show a lot of interest in our motorbikes. The two Triumph Tigers earn as many appreciative looks as the two Yamaha TDMs. A motorbike is a motorbike! We are able to communicate very well, even though our Italian vocabulary is limited. Again, we have to force ourselves to move on, we still have 200 kilometers ahead of us, and with the endless curves, it’s more like 350 kilometers!
Arriving at today’s destination, the wonders of Sardinia don’t give us a rest. It’s only 500 km (300 miles) across the ocean to Barcelona, the Spanish coast. You have to look in that direction, it is a must! We can’t miss a visit to the Grotta di Nettuno, an incredible system of caves three to four kilometers long. To get there, we take a 40-minute ride by boat and thousands of steps!
We are full of beautiful impressions, but still must keep going. This time we follow the coast to Bosa. High above the water level we glide heavenly and almost weightless. We enjoy the ride and forget to look around to enjoy the view. We have to stop several times. Is it really crucial to take pictures of all 7000 beautiful coastal curves? Finally the sun disappears into the sea like a red-hot fireball. There was only one more thing to expect: Neptune himself would come out and thank us for visiting the caves.
The next day we wake up at 8:00 a.m. and depart about an hour later. Christa remembers her first tour in Sardinia and warns: “You can get sick because of the many turns!” Andy, the Sardinia-newcomer laughs.
The most challenging part of the tour awaits us. We pass Lago Omodeo, come through Laconi, Desulo to Fonni, where Christa and I know a nice bar. But we are “drunk” from so many curves. Andy is happy but he feels sick! Sveti, the only passenger, is happy, too, although her lower back hurts. It is still a good distance to our Sporting Hotel near Lago Gusana, where we will stay for two nights. Before dinner, we take a walk along the shore of the lake to relax our muscles after so many hours of motorbike riding.
The next morning we discuss whether it’s Wednesday or Thursday. The quarrel becomes philosophic. Is there a feeling for time on Sardinia, or not? Finally we leave and take a long tour presenting plenty of opportunities to take many more pictures.
Some important spots along our curvy tour: Gavoi, Olzai, Teti, Tonara, Sòrgono, Atzara, Aritzo, Seui, San Cristòforo, Villanova Strisáili, Passo Corroboi and Passo Caravai (the two highest passes of Sardinia) and back to Lago Gusana. Are these really all-Italian names? Some sound foreign, very foreign. Of course, Sardinian has its very own language, basically a cross between Latin and Italian. For the people of Sardinia, Italian is the first foreign language they learn in school. This same phenomena also exists in Austria. The names really do not matter though. This tour was the king’s tour before and it’s now the imperialist’s tour! Enough talking about monarchism!
Andy feels the ecstasy of all the curves. Captured by the deep blue, picture postcard sky and the unbelievable grip of the asphalt, he passes us at one intersection. We roast in the sun until he appears again. He then owes us two bottles of red wine. This is the currency here.
Overwhelmed by impatience, I rush to depart. A very special natural spectacle waits for us: a lonely, endless plateau! Further and further we ride, to the river Flumineddu. “If only I could stop!” That’s what the others think, too. Only they mean: “If only ‘he’ could stop!” and grumble in their helmets. Not Christa! She sticks to my back tire, as if trying to say, “Come on, let’s go!” Arriving at the Passo Corroboi, I too, have had enough. Happy and tired we reach our hotel. The evening is too short and ends unusually soon; we all disappear into our rooms. The two bottles of red wine we will have to drink another day.
It was Wednesday! The day before our last day in Sardinia. We don’t want to waste time, so we stow our luggage and get back on the road. We head for the sea of the east coast. Our tour for today: curves, curves, and curves! To be precise, we go through Gavoi, Ovadda, Aritzom Villanova Tulo, Esterzili, Perdasdefogu, Jerzu and Bari Sadro to Arbatax.
“So many gorgeous curves, where will it end?” asks Andy. “In Arbatax!” is my short answer. He is thrilled, starts his bike and speeds off. After three minutes he is back again. He looks very embarrassed. He has forgotten his passenger Sveti. We never found out whether this was only a joke or whether he actually forgot her in his excitement.
Our ride is as always very diversified: curve after curve, high plateau after high plateau, and canyon after canyon. We are moving pretty swiftly, interrupted only by the occasional photo stop. Only one side trip to the small town of Jerzu. The narrow alleys are incredible and some of them are so steep you could compare them to an alpine path.
Back on track, a cow scares us to death. It is lying placidly in the middle of the road, ruminant, and just behind a curve. Normally, it’s the numerous sheep throughout Sardinia that show no reaction to your horn or shouting. This time it is “Liesl.” That is what we name her. We calm our nerves with a delicious ice cream in Bari Sardo.
We have to tear away from the famous Red Rock, as we have to find a place to stay for the night. We find it in the elegant hotel “La Bitta.” After a hearty hello, we find that motor bikers are welcome and we enjoy our last evening with an excellent meal and drinks. It is the perfect time to drink Andy’s two bottles of red wine.
Our last day begins very slowly. Nobody wants to face the departure. Nevertheless, I have a great route in mind: Genna Cruxi, Dorgali, Lula, Monto Albo, Budoni, and Olbia. Finally we make it to our bikes and move on. After a few turns reaching the Passo Genna, I have to act my age and take a break for a nice strong espresso on Passo Cruxi. Our eyes sparkle again and the melancholy is gone.
Coming through Dorgali to Monte Albo we open the throttle. We have to warm up for the loose gravel roads, which are quite plentiful in Sardinia. This part of the road is about 20 kilometers (about 12 miles) long and one of the most challenging. At Siniscola, we buy ice cream for the “kids,” and cappuccino for the “cafe-sisters.”
The sadness returns. At the pier of Oblia, the ache is overwhelming. Should we get jobs on the ferry of Moby Lines, only to be closer to “our” Sardinia?
We have seen so much. But there is still so much more! We didn’t see Nùoro, nor the rock of Palau, nor Cagliari, nor... But we will be back, Sardinia, we have to come back!
Ciao, bellissima, arrivederci.
FACTS AND INFORMATION
In General
Sardinia is the second-biggest island in the Mediterranean Sea (after Sicily) and belongs to the state of Italy. The landscape varies from the high mountain range in the middle of the island to the flat plains in the southwest and the picturesque shore. The language of Sardinia is Italian. At some places in the most popular vacation regions you can also get around with English. People over there are friendly and helpful to foreign guests. Because of the varied history the population is a mixture of Italians, Spanish, Sarracenes and French. But you always feel the influence of other European and North African countries, too. Besides motorcycling you have the choice of spending your vacation time sailing, swimming, diving, hiking, mountain biking or just relaxing on the beaches or enjoying sidewalk cafés in bigger towns.
Ways to get there
The easiest way to get there is by plane coming into Cagliari. Those who want to ride motorcycles down to Sardinia, take the Italian Autostrada to Genua, Livorno or Civitavecchia where the big ferries head off to the island. From Livorno, it takes eight hours to get to the island. It is a night trip, which makes it necessary to book a cabin two days in advance.
Climate
Dry, hot summers, moderate temperatures in spring and fall. The annual average temperature is 17°C / 64° F. The average temperature during the motorcycle season from April until November is 24°C / 70°F. The lowest temperature can be 10°C / 14°F, the highest 30°C / 86°F.
Board & Lodging
It is easy to find a hotel in the coastal regions while you may run into problems to finding board and lodging in the central portion of the island. During the peak season in August almost everything is booked up because Italians generally vacation then. It can be difficult to get a room in the mountains in the fall because it is hunting season and a lot of hunters do show up.
Money and prices
Prices for room, food and beverages are usually moderate but are very high along the Costa Esmeralda in the northeast of Sardinia. The currency is the Italian lira, you can exchange at bank institutes only. Credit cards are not accepted everywhere.
Roads & Biking
You will find challenging roads with plenty of curves all over the island. The southeast is flat and boring. The asphalt provides good grip that allows riding at higher speed.
Places for sightseeing & shopping
In this case you can find nice places for shopping in the bigger towns. It makes a lot of fun to walk on the sidewalks, go window shopping and enjoy the typical Italian sidewalk cafes.
In your traveling guides you can find all the points of interests and there are many of them like the Costa Esmeralda, Santa Teresa, a little village on the north end of Sardinia, and when the weather is clear, you can see the island of Corsica. Another highlight is Alghero, an old town where you find the influence of Italian, Spanish, French and African architecture. You should visit the Grotta di Nettuno, Grotta Verde and Grotta di Ricami, nearby Alghero. All over the country you can find the very famous Nuraghi. A Nuraghe is a big tower made of stone bricks and built between 1855 and 238 ante Christ.
The beautiful beaches invite you to relax and have fun on a rest day.
Books & Maps
Sardinia, The Rough Guide by Robert Andrews, ISBN I-85828-502-X
Eyewitness Travel Guides: Sardinia, ISBN 0-7894-2868-7
Cadogen Sardinia by Dana Facaros and Michael Pauls, ISBN 1-86011-967-0
Addresses & Phone Numbers
Tourism Office: Regione Autonoma della Serdegna, Assessorato al Turismo, Viale Trieste 105, I-09124 Cagliari, Phone 011 XX 70 6061
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