Welcome to Sardegna...

...as we visit Italy's second-largest island 

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At first glance, Sardinia looks like mainland Italy...

...but there are so many new things (and old favourites) to see and enjoy. Like puffy-crusted pizzas...

...cafes with a great vibe and the best go-withs ever...

...and spots where hurried workers stand and toss back coffees while chatting with the barista and each other.

For us, we take a table - just in case a few more kilojoules, (aka more meltingly sweet temptations) are needed!

On our first morning in town, after a late night flight from Malta (via Athens and Rome!) we head to this place, Pirani, recommended to us by a friend - and we are definitely not disappointed.

Whenever we arrive in a new place, Gordon and I choose to wander - breathing in the air and getting the 'feel' of a place. Smiling as we pass others is essential - everyone understands that!

It's all good even if we haven't yet learned the one essential word of travel in an unfamiliar country: Hello. Another most important one is thank you (in Italian grazie - or gratzias in Sardinia's local language). Another one is excuse me - in Italian scusi (iscusa-mi in Sardu).

Fortunately in this island's cities, Italian is the main language, and I know a smattering of that. In rural areas we have been advised that Sardu (or Logudorese) might be more commonly used. We look forward to finding out about that very soon.

Just a block or so from our hotel, this tiny local church sets the tone on our first morning walk: open for all to visit, colourful, immaculate - and so quiet.

In a new place, we are always on high alert, full of anticipation, and today is no exception. Little do we know what Sardinia has in store for us! But more of this later.

Beginning in Sardinia's capital, we find local houses crammed into tiny laneways tell us even more, and just to make sure we pronounce the name of this city properly, we ask a local and then practice it. I had been saying it wrongly, but the answer was firm: CAL-yar-ee. (think 'calory' and you are close enough).

As we walk higher, heading towards the tourist epicentre of town, we wander down narrow laneways. Many of these are available as B&Bs, and while you could never catch a bus along here, we side-step a steady stream of bicycles and delivery vehicles.

Shortly we arrive at one of the city's most important treasures - Bastione di Saint Remy begun in 1896, and now an ideal meeting point for visitors. 

Climbing higher to the terrace, we realise that his can't-be-missed classical-style fortification is the ideal place from which to survey all of Cagliari and the port.

To get here, there are stairs  - and also a lift. It is a hot day when we visit, and we take the easier way.

From the walkway and the vast Umberto I Terrace there are panoramic views over the entire city.

Nearby is the Castello area. Cagliari's name in the local Sardinian language means 'castle'. Shadowy alleys link the streets and then we burst into sunlight, high above the city.

Just a few minutes' walk from Il Bastione, we reach the jewel in Cagliari's crown. It bears a jawdroppingly long name: Cattedrale du Santa Maria Assunta e Santa Cecilia, but if you simply say 'cathedral' most locals will smilingly point you in the right direction.

Dating from the 13th century, the cathedral still keeps a kind eye overlooking the city and the bay.

The facade of this building, replaced in the 1930s, and its decorations - like this mosaic over the main door - are colourful and exquisite.

Allow plenty of time here, as you need hours to fully admire the interior carvings, frescoes and ancient artefacts.

A hundred metres away, the Palazzo Regio is an opulent palace. Formerly a royal residence, it is now open to the public for exhibitions, concerts and tours.

However, the Piazza Palazzo (aka Palace Place) is directly below the cathedral. On one side, there is an upmarket dining area (serviettes and tablecloths)...

...and, opposite, a pizzeria where we gratefully escape the (now) blazing midday sun.

Outside again, we walk beside the parapets, again enjoying the long views of the city...

...and make sure we see the 42 metre-high Elephant Tower (aka Torre del'Elefante) guarding one of the Castello's main entrances. The breathtaking view from the top of the tower takes in all of Cagliari.

So, why is there an elephant, and what is it doing here? 

Those coats-of-arms are from 13th-century Pisan rulers. The tower dates back to 1307 when the island was dominated by Pisa, and it appears that the elephant symbolises that strength. 

However at various times in history, the tower has been used for storage, as well as being a prison and a gruesome execution site. 

In many places in Cagliari we encounter this unusual flag i and it takes some time to realise that this is the island's own flag, called The Moors. Those four black heads signify 13th-century Moorish princes. A historical flag of the Savoyard Kingdom of Sardinia, it was first adopted here in 1950.

Even though we have had a couple of very hot and tiring days, we have only explored a reasonably small area. So when someone tells us about the 'street art walls' and we realise that they are on the way back to our hotel, we can't wait keen to see them.

These walls are covered with amazing and highly talented artwork...

...and I practice the 'panorama' button on my camera to take it all in.

There is so much more, but this should give the idea.

Finally, we realise it is time to leave Cagliari and travel further - after all, we have Italy's second-largest island to explore...

...BUT THEN something unexpected happens!

Day One of the rest of our trip: we awake to identical scratchy throats and sniffles. Yup! Seems that Mr Covid has decided we need a Sardinian version of the virus as a special treat.

We test...we worry (will we be isolated?)...and fear that our meticulous itinerary will be in shreds.

Good news: our B&B owner is very helpful. No, we do not need to tell the government, she says. Yes, we may stay in our room an extra day - they will just turn off the air-con so we won't infect anyone else. AND she brings us breakfast. No charge (but of course, we tip her well the next day).

My time is then devoted to reorganising our upcoming trip. Thankfully, it is surprisingly easy (although it would have been far simpler without Covid-fog) and we only lose the cost of one booking.

The rest of our Sardinian trip is self-driving, so we figure that by being holed-up in our car, we are already self-isolating. By now Italy is not too concerned about Covid, deeming it basically, as 'over'. By being careful and keeping our distance we should not be a threat to anyone.

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Beautiful Bosa

It's raining colour as we arrive on the outskirts of Bosa, our destination for the first night of our driving tour.

It was a picture like this that had won my heart when first planning the trip. At about 170 kilometres from Cagliari, it was a fairly easy two-hour drive on a good highway, passing houses that reminded us of Tuscany - windfarms, red-tiled towns with the mandatory square church tower, and granite outcrops interspersed with prickly pears and jacarandas.

What's more our hotel, Baja Romantica, is on the edge of the Temo River. We are able to walk across the lawns from the back door of our room to the marina, and enjoy the sunshine.

Later we drive into the town and, near the Ponte Vecchio (every Italian city has one - the name means 'old bridge') and enjoy freshly cooked local seafood. Well, as much as our failing tastebuds will allow! 

The star in Bosa's crown is the Castello. 

Gordon climbs to the top, but I don't. Well, someone needs to stay with the car!

Even from the roadside, the view across the city is enough for me. 

And, surely, an Italian castle is only complete when there is a bar and coffee available nearby!

Moving on, heading northeast, we finally sight one of the ancient nughare particular to Sardinia. These  megalithic edifices are only found in Sardinia, developing during the Nuragic Age between 1900 BC and 730 BC.

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The Maddelenas

Heading in the direction of Oschiri, we find ourselves switchbacking, then passing through farmland, vineyards and orchards with long, long views. These mountainous rocky mountains ahead seemed impassable, but at least by now the road has improved from the endless local roadworks, to this. 

Finally we reach Palau, a waterside town, and hopping-off point for the legendary La Maddalena archipelago.

The two-kilometre car-ferry trip takes only a few minutes ...

...just enough time to snap a wide view of our destination: Isola Maddalena, the major island.

This is what we have been waiting for. Here is the view from our bedroom in Hotel Il Gabbiano, appropriately translating as 'seagull'. It is impossible to be more waterside than this.

Of course, that evening we dine on local seafood...

.. and wake next morning to that magical view.

The town centre, Piazzo Umberto I, is the heart of this waterfront town and it's a most orderly place as we notice every level of a police presence - on land and water.

However we have a tip-off. The nearby island of Caprera, is known as the last residence of the Italian revolutionary Giuseppe Garibaldi...

...and fortunately it is connected to the main island by a narrow causeway. Caprera means 'goat' in English and the island's rocky terrain explains its name perfectly.

Caprera is the ideal counterpoint to bustling La Maddalena. People come here to hike, chill out and generally enjoy its serenity, knowing that the town's bustling lifestyle is just a couple of hundred metres away.

With limited time in La Maddalena we take a quick drive around the island, and discover secluded mega-rich homes and gated private coves, filled with various watercraft.

Finally we descend through the town (vowing to return another time - and stay longer, you can be sure) - then reluctantly catch a ferry across to the mainland.

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Just a few kilometres south we check-in to small and cosy B&B Brezza on the Golfo Aranci.

The next morning after this generous breakfast we say goodbye to Brezza, and our very generous and helpful host at the B&B.

The night before, he had directed us to the town's best pizzeria. Although not 'un-covided', we knew we still needed to eat, so we order a large pizza, 

Everyone in the restaurant is eating greedily and we're excited - until we start with our pizza. It is almost tasteless - only saltiness comes through - in abundance, and we wonder how all these people could enjoy such awful food...

...UNTIL we realise that we are the problem! Covid has stolen our tastebuds and replaced them with saltiness!! 

We bin the pizza!

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Heading inland

The coastal area around Golfo Aranci is known for its stunning views. In fact virtually the whole Eastern coastline is a beach-lover's paradise.

Nearby we pay homage to Guglielmo Marconi, who has this connection to Sardinia.

Today, we especially like the way his monument is guarded by three black birds - creatures that can also carry messages over a long distance.

It was from here that Marconi sent the first telgram across the Atlantic.

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Finally, we can put a name to the looming mountains which we had seen days earlier. Now we will see them over and over along the coast, for the next couple of days. It is Tavolara Island, a limestone massif five kilometres long and a kilometre wide.

Tavolara was once a Kingdom (one of the smallest in the world) ruled by the Bertoleoni family between the 19th and 20th century upon permission of King Charles Albert of Sardinia.  Read more about it...

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Musical bread

One of my favourite things about travel is food-shopping in other countries.

For years I knew about carta di musica (music paper) or carta carasau, Sardinia's local bread of choice. I had tasted it once in a restaurant in Sydney. Now, in an unassuming small-town supermarket, I am blown away by a wall full of not just one packet, but every shape and size of this delicious fragile bread.

Of course, I buy some, and we nibble on it for the rest of the trip.

The resemblance of the landscape and buildings of Sardinia and Tuscany...

...and other parts of mainland Italy are, of course, to be expected. 

After all, only a couple of hundred kilometres of the Tyrrhenian Sea lies between them.

At the end of a day exploration, inland on the island, we are again reunited with this icon of the coast.

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And so, to Orosei

Gli Ulivi, perhaps the best hotel of the trip, was an ideal place for us to enjoy the massive panorama of the town below.

Next day we made an aborted attempt to visit the inland mountain town of Nuoro.

Don't ask! Think, endless roadworks, narrow, winding roads and craggy mountains that would have been breathtaking in sunny weather - except we had picked the 'blinding rain' card.

Sardinia delivered it all that day, and we were thankful to finally reach the coast again.

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Tortoli surprises

The final leg of our driving trip takes us down the last of Eastern Sardinia, before west turn west to Cagliari.

This time tomorrow we will be at the airport, and we feel both reluctant and relieved.

After checking out of our hotel in the town, and on a tip from the locals, we head to Arbatax, and it blows our minds.

Just around the corner from where we enjoy a breakfast coffee we find the totally unexpected Parce delle Rocce Rosse (red rocks).

Who cares that, in a few hours, we need to check-in to our final accommodation near the airport in Cagliari!

We spend a couple of hours here, absorbing the sunshine and this fascinating rocky surprise. 

But all good things must finish eventually - and from here we join the motorway, whisking us across the island. A blur of roadside prickly pears accompanied us for much of it, and then...

...it was time to leave.

Final souvenirs for friends and family at home...

...and a reluctant goodbye to this island's unique black-faced flags.

As we board the plane for our flight to Rome, we almost shed tears to be leaving Sardinia, yet determine to hold those joyful memories close.

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Covid, your tried to trip up our plans but...

...despite you, we survived and fell in love with this charming island and its friendly people.

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Grazie mille, Sardegna...

Pictures and words: ©Sally Hammond

Video: ©Gordon Hammond

Sally & Gordon Hammond travelled independently on Sardinia.

 All opinions are their own.