The final days in Sardinia

My last writing came from Gavoi, escaping the clutches of the village fool. There were more events to report on, that make Gavoi such an interesting place. The town and as I understand it the whole district has a proud tradition of horsemen. Today about a hundred men and some women, rode to a church some 12 km away and were blessed by the local priest. They then rode back and after the local police cleared the streets they were led into town by a group of man on foot, carrying a large banner. They rode 2 to 7 abreast up the Main Street into town, them into the narrow and steep cobbled streets into the centre finishing up at the church, where local women held up trays of food for the riders to take. They showed their riding skills by turning backing and sidestepping their horses within the confines of the narrow streets. The site and sound of the horses on the cobbled streets is amazing. Sardinia is rich with tradition and the archeological evidence points to the fact that this island was occupied long before the rest of Europe. They have their own language different from Italian and are fiercely proud of Sardo and are keen to share it. There is also an element of discontent, evident in the occasional graffiti slogan that reads: "attention tourists, we are not Italians" and unfortunately many road signs are damaged by rifle and shotgun fire, which is quite sad, none of this is felt on a personal level, as the Sardinian people are the most kind and hospitable people one could find. I have already mentioned the food, which is rich and varied and every district has its own specialities which the people are also keen to share. Dinner that night was a smorgasbord of local dishes, including the wild Sardinian pork, washed down with plenty of local red wine, delicious. At "Agriturismo Antichi Sapori" at Gavoi I met a retired couple, Giancarlo and Mariapia, who invited me to come and stay a night when I get to Olbia before leaving Sardinia. Which I did take up, but more of that later. Thursday the first of August I rode from Gavoi to Bitti, another hard ride, with temperatures in the high thirties, of about 68 km climbing another 1350m. I stopped at 2.30 a few km before the town of Bitti, at "Agriturismo Dogolai". The host opened the door, looked at me, then the bike, shook my hand and invited me in, cleared a place at the table and plied me with food and wine. Trust me to arrive at lunchtime ! Very little English was spoken, a family run farm with at least one adult son and a couple of farm workers. They milk 20 cows, I think by hand, and run cattle and sheep on a 200 hectare property consisting of several small parcels of land spread around the area. We had some interesting discussions using the laptop and a google translation program. Very generous and hospitable people and another great experience with lots of interesting food. The farm is 850 m above sea level, hot dry summers and cold -15C winters with lots of snow and the animals indoors from December till March. Friday the second of August the ride takes me further along the highest road in Sardinia, than down to Olbia at sea level. I ride 87 km climbing another 755 m followed by some rewarding descents totalling 1480 m. I start climbing to Budduso on the high plateau, where I stop and explore a totally open and unprotected "Nuraghe Noelle" it is the first one I have been to where one can actually go inside it. It looks obvious to me that it is a defensive structure in a great strategic position. The plateau has a lot of renewable energy installations, including quite extensive solar panel farms and wind turbines in the open areas. It also has extensive cork tree forests, these trees are related to the oak. They ring bark the tree from the ground to about 1.5m high. It does not kill the tree and the bark re-grows in about 6 years for the next harvest. The bare wood is a nice brown colour after harvest and looks like it has been painted. The plateau also has a number of quarries where large blocks of granite are cut into all shapes and sizes. There is a huge amount of granite up here. A few big trucks pass me with blocks of granite as big as a single garage. After Ala di Sardi I start the descent to Padru and after another few nasty little climbs to keep me honest I arrive in Olbia to a very warm welcome at Giancarlo and Mariapia Trevisan about 3 pm. I clean up (I have a downstairs self contained flat to myself) and admire the lovely house they built themselves in the eighties. Giancarlo drives me to the ferry terminal to organise a ferry ticket, where I create a few problems for myself, which I will not go into. I admire the amazing photographs of Sardinia, Giancarlo has made into book following an exhibition he had previously. It is his hobby , but it is pure talent. We go out for dinner at a friends country house, taste his home made wine and spirits, eat the speciality cheese soup, very tasty , made by his wife, a traditional dish from where she came, and I enjoy another great night of food wine and Sardinian hospitality. What have I done to deserve all this ?? Saturday morning we have a sightseeing tour of the yacht harbours, the bays with super yachts and the upmarket suburbs of Olbia for the rich and famous. It is all very grand and impressive, but I prefer the Sardinia I have just come through with its natural beauty and its beautiful people. After a relaxing afternoon, I say goodbye to my new friends, bike to the port board the ferry at 9 pm and leave Sardinia behind to start the next leg of the journey, the mountains of mainland Italy and France.