whitehall

And all those now 1.5 million people are friendly and wonderful. Even with little English. We had an elderly Hertz rep in Alghero that was the most memorable car rental agent we ever encountered. Probably in his 80's, he was dramatic and funny and did speak a little English. We got an underground tour of a private "apartment" (adjacent to a restaurant where we ate) that once was the jail that housed people whose heads ended up on spikes on a noted tower in Cagliari. He knew we wouldn't understand his Italian , but he patiently pantomined to help us understand. Our toddler grandson was treated like a little king everywhere he went a few weeks ago. And, our son likes to bring back a suitcase of fresh squeezed olive oil each fall from Italy. While in Alghero, he mentioned to a waiter his quest for some new oil. They called and found some but the oil was from last season. The staff started conferring, making more calls and 20 minutes later a little old lady came with the freshest, greenest colored olive oil she had just squeezed. Five liters.

Dai

Isn't that something with the olive oil? Italians LOVE the little ones, don't they? We were in Alghero and enjoyed it very much. We had a couple days to kill and so after Alghero, we found our way up into the North-West corner of the island in Stintino for a few nights. It was absolutely spectacular in its beauty. I remember speaking with a guy on the beach who said, "Americani a Stintino? Come mai?" (Americans in Stintino, how on earth?) Italians in Sardinia were the kindest and most gracious, and curious about us. I LOVED Castelsardo too. The old Centro Storico was magical. The Blue Zone is nice that you touched on that too. In the states, only Loma Linda, CA which is filled with 7th Day Adventists (vegetarians) make the list. Thanks again for sharing!

whitehall

Dai, when we were in Castellabate in 2017, we asked our wonderful landlord about a source for fresh olive oil. He said his entire family and friends were gathering olives the next day and hoped to press them immediately. They normally press just enough for their annual family needs, but they sold us, for what we thought was a ridiculously small sum, 15 liters of the freshest oil ever, and that amounted to 10% of the family's annual production. These are hospitable, sharing people, who especially appreciate even tourists who show a genuine interest in, and appreciation of, something that is so special to them. (And, as a side note, we regret the many years of buying tons of grocery store oils or paying ridiculous sums of money for supposed artisan oils, many, if not all, of which might have oils that were pressed years earlier. The most healthful ingredients in olive oil dissipate after oils are 6-12 months old, so if you're buying in the supermarket, you are typically wasting your money. Some people wrongfully think if it says extra virgin or organic, that is enough, and I am not even getting into the conversation about the fake or adulterated oils that end up on grocer's shelves).

Kmania

Thanks for your report. I really enjoyed reading it and am so looking forward to our stay in October.

BritishCaicos

Happy memories.

I miss Sardinia, thanks Whitehall .....and Kmania for topping.

geetika

We went for a short trip in May 2016 and wanted to go again in 2018 or 2019, but didn’t. Later wasn’t possible of course, though I’m still hopeful of getting there n the next 2-3 years…

whitehall

Thank you @British Caicos. @Kmania and @geetika, you will not regret going to Sardinia, a large, breathtaking and mostly unspoiled destination. So much to see and do. Our 8 days was not enough, but we were glad we criss-crossed the island. Among other things, we enjoyed our drive to a remote "blue zone" community, where there are lots of 100 year-olds. We were the only tourists there that day in Seulo, but, shortly after being there, we were excited to watch celebrity Zac Efron, in his Down to Earth NETFLIX TV series, make the same trip to explore reasons for the tiny town's longevity secrets.

packed

Great report so well written. This will be so helpful in planning our trip in the future. Thank you.

whitehall

@packed Thank you for the kind comment. We are currently in Italy (Rome and Umbria) for a Covid friendly five weeks. Sardinia had been considered virtually Covid free, so this year, they got the crowds and apparently the super-spreaders and now Sardinia is like Florida. Best to wait until this pandemic passes, but you will not regret going after that.

packed

We are actually still planning to leave on our trip to Italy in two weeks. Sardinia is not part of our plan this year, and we have never visited there, but maybe next spring or fall. We are starting in Lake Como, then Padova, Naples and the Amalfi area. These areas are familiar to us. How are you handling Covid there? We have been vaccinated and, of course, will mask up. We do plan to take quite a few trains. We used to rent a car, but after a few fender benders and many tickets, we prefer not to. Any information about the situation there would be appreciated.

whitehall

@packed. As I posted elsewhere, our arrival in Rome was simplest and speediest ever. No contact with humans. You scan your own passport and let an automated camera take your photo and that's it. No vaccination checks, no temperature checks or anything else. They apparently leave all that stuff to the airlines. We have seen few Americans (in Rome and now Spello); lots of Italian tourists in last stages of August vacation. I am assuming September will be quiet everywhere this year here. No Brits, no Chinese, no Russians, etc. Outside most people are not wearing masks; inside 100%. Restaurants are serving mostly outside, but, for some of those that have gorgeous interiors and great food or inability to have outside dining, vaccine document checks (CDC cards are fine everywhere we have noticed) are required. Funny to see need for proof of vaccine (or recent negative covid test) to gain entry to McDonalds. We wanted to get some groceries at Lidl in Foligno on our way to Spello, and an automated temperature check was required to open the automatic doors. Other than that, things seem pretty normal. Our only concern has been too many unmasked people outdoors, even in highly crowded areas. We leased a car so no trains or buses for us this time.

Kmania

I really appreciate your posting the comment about Sardinia. When I saw it we had just received notice from Alitalia that they were canceling our flight there so I just decided to skip Sardinia for this year. I had also decided to skip Florence, Venice and Bologna and go to Orvieto, Rome, Positano (where we're attending a small wedding) and Tropea instead. Except for Rome, those seemed like places where it would be easy to do social distancing, and we're renting a car instead of taking the train. How has it been in Rome and Umbria?

whitehall

@Kmania We spent time today in Spello, Montefalco, Trevi and Todi. And Italian tourists continue to dominate the streets and restaurants. I don’t recall seeing one person so far this week we thought to be an American, which is surprising to us. Although cases and positivity rates have edged up a bit in recent weeks, it seems that those numbers have plateaued a bit. Outside restaurants and cafes are lively and busy. Italy still predicts their vaccination rate (those over 12 who qualify) should hit 80% by the end of September and has only slowed down in recent weeks due to August summer vacations.

packed

Whitehall, thanks so much for the info. It gives us insight as to what to expect. Seems that the Italians are being careful. We have been the to Umbrian towns that you mentioned and really like that area,

nanael

We are planning - quite on a whim - to go to Sardinia after going on a Sicily Tour for 2 weeks. I was beginning to have doubts - NEVER had Sardinia been on the radar (even though my DNA shows me to be 1-4% Sardinian - who would have known?)! But now I will proceed with anticipation.
Thank you!
BTW, we did spend 3 weeks in Italy last Fall and it was wonderful!!!

whitehall

Glad you made it to Italy last fall. I recollect talking to you about pre-arrival Covid testing, since you were flying there via London. Maybe a little easier right now, but hard to tell about next fall.

We are flying to Sicily for five weeks in a few days, our third but longest visit there. If we can help with your 2-week tour, let us know.

Sardinia was a big wonderful surprise for us, a lot different than Sicily. Unless you go July/August, when its beaches are quite popular, we found a lot of pleasant, empty roads in the fall.

BritishCaicos

Hi Whitehall

where are you planning to go in Sicily ? we know some interesting corners of the island !

Faedus

Thank you for the report. I’m considering a re-visit to Italy, and though it’s not likely to happen until next year at the earliest, Sardinia has been one of the places I’ve considered concentrating on. Though I’m not quite convinced that I “gotta go,” I’m now thinking about Sardinia a bit more seriously than before, so at least in my case your trip report did its
intended job. A couple of comments from early in the report stood out for me:

“The ticket-taker expressed surprise at visitors from the US — we liked that.” Yes, I would too; I’ve had that experience elsewhere, and have always appreciated it.

“Few English-speaking voices.” A big plus for me. I always try to get away from English, but it’s not easy these days.

And though it has nothing to do with my travel plans: “We’ve seen worse [road conditions] on interstate highways in Pennsylvania.” I’m not surprised; I live in Pennsylvania myself. Even though I haven’t been in Sardinia, I would have no doubt you’ve seen worse conditions here! Though in fairness, our interstate highways are relatively smooth and elegant, compared to certain streets here in Pittsburgh.

A couple of questions:

[1] I probably would not rent a car, if it can be avoided — but can it be? Do you happen to know how good the island’s train service is? I’m mainly interested in historic cities and towns, as opposed to remote nature spots.
[2] Did you happen to spot any of those infamous giant cruise ships off Cagliari or Alghero? I’m afraid the very sight of one of those behemoths, along with the tourist hordes they disgorge, would be a disincentive for me. (Sorry if you addressed this point in your report; but there was a lot of detail, and I might have overlooked it.)

whitehall

Sorry for the brief response as we are currently in Sicily.

First, regarding roads in Pennsylvania. I travel a fair amount on interstate highways, and it’s the only place where I have seen giant potholes, even recently. A number of years ago, there was one so large it swallowed some truck tires before us and then blew out our two left tires. I had a summer business in Maine at the time, and, shortly thereafter, I was excited to meet former presidential candidate and governor Bill Scranton as a customer. I said “Glad to meet you, I stayed up all night during the convention in 1964 but about the $1,000 your highways just cost me............” We became fast friends, and he promised to tell his son who was then the Lt. Governor.

We saw no cruise ships in tiny Alghero and frankly don’t even recall any in much larger Cagliari.

Driving, except in the immediate area of Cagliari, was quite nice and easy, with sheperds and their flocks the biggest danger. Public transportation is generally very limited from what we could determine, and we cannot imagine enjoying what Sardinia offers without a car.

Faedus

Thanks for the response. I was hoping public transportation on Sardinia would be better, but then, If I visited I would probably spend most of my time in the two main cities. Also, I don't think I've yet seen such potholes on a Pennsylvania interstate highway yet, though I wouldn't be surprised if you have. Pittsburgh produces some real whoppers, though. Finally, I presume you are enjoying Sicily!