Mostly Golf

The writer was not expecting to leave Corsica twice on this trip but was able to retrieve the car on Sunday having been told nothing was possible until Tuesday, but that rather sums up the attitude there. We did a lot of sightseeing around the Costa Smeralda but unfortunately it was rather hazy so the photos are not clear. We took yet another (short) ferry ride to La Madalena and across the bridge to Caprera, a big island which has one house on it and was only ever lived in by one family, that of Giuseppe Garibaldi. He moved there to retire after his exploits as a general, fighting around Europe and in South America. He had 3 wives and a number of children including one by the housekeeper so he was clearly a lover as well as a fighter. His house is now a museum and worth a visit. The man...

This is mostly golf week and having played twice in Pevero we drove through central Sardinia to the west coast to play Is Arenas near Narbolia. The fairways weave through the pines near the beach, a lovely course perhaps the best on the island. When we were not playing we visited Tharros, ancient city on the coast where the Phoenicians first settled in 800BC which makes this church from 600 AD look new.

The next leg was to Is Molas GC west of Cagliari where we first played on honeymoon and where our friend Luciano, who is travelling with us until tomorrow, used to be the professional. He likes to make sure we are not bored so we took a slight diversion to San Sperate, a small village which is home to Pinuccio Sciola, the stone sculptor. His outdoor gallery is huge and we just drove in. It would be better to google his name to understand how he carves (with machines) and how he makes the stones 'sing'. The village is also very unusual as a large percentage of the buildings have intricate murals painted on them and even the concrete streets are painted. Some examples of his work:

One thing which is really noticeable is how much cheaper things are the further south one goes. Remember the days when 3 people could go out and eat pasta with fresh seafood and drink oodles of house wine for about $15 a head? Down here you still can! We have moved east through Cagliari to Villasimius in the southeast corner, a pleasant surprise. We have never heard of it but it has lovely beaches and a very scenic course, Tanka Golf Club. There are some good hotels and enough amenities but the area is not over developed and as you can see, the weather is ideal. One more day, maybe one more round if our bodies can take it and we then sail for Sicily tomorrow evening.