More Sardinia, Santa Teresa

From Cagliari, we flew into Olbia airport. The town of Olbia is an hour's drive from the seaside town Santa Teresa, on the northern tip of Sardinia where we'd spend almost a week on the beach.


When we arrived we thought we'd ended up in a sleepy little town. The streets of colourful apartments were empty, and all the shuttered windows were closed to the daylight.


We arrived at the La Terrazza di Lilly B&B where our friends, Myles and Tom had stayed a few months before. The B&B was well located in the town's quiet streets and on the hillside overlooking the beach, Rena Bianca, and the Mediterranean Sea.


It was also a stone's throw from the 16th century Torre Longosardo, a tower that was to protect the Sardinian shorelines.

View from Rena Bianca Beach. Torre Longosardo to the left and La Terrazza di Lilly B&B is the middle white villa at the front

The B&B was immaculate and beachy...


... with fantastic views to the emerald waters...

Rena Bianca Beach in Santa Teresa from the B&B

... and Corsica, which could be seen in the distance.

We hopped into our swimmers and headed straight for the beach and the blue sun lounges. The waters were as clear as the waters at Poetto Beach.


I should make a mention of the business of sunbeds (lettino) and umbrellas (ombrellone) in Italy, and most European beaches. We don't have these facilities on Aussie beaches (well, that I know of) but in Italy and other European beaches, private areas of sunbeds and umbrellas are hired out for a daily charge to ensure a comfortable beach stay.


At Poetto Beach, facilities such as cabanas, toilets and showers were provided. As well as decking for wheelchairs as we noticed how the beach was well catered for the older population. Rena Bianca didn't have as many facilities, being much smaller, but as we were already used to the comfort of the sun lounges at Poetto we couldn't resist. The sunbeds and umbrellas also provide ample shade when the sun is highest in the sky and a place to store or hang belongings, off sand and away from prying hands. I did at times, miss feeling the bed of sand underneath me, but for everything else the sunbeds were great.


The areas are usually overlooked by one or two people who are also life guards. And we did see a beach rescue of someone in an inflatable boat who got washed around the headlands when the seas became rough one afternoon.

I mentioned arriving in to a sleepy town, but on our first night out, fresh from the beach and a day in the sun, we discovered that at 8pm Santa Teresa comes to life with lights and with lots of people.


We dined at the nearby il Grottino, the best restaurant in town, we believe.


All the eateries, bars and shops throw open their doors till late and we spent every night out in the town for dinner and shopping. There were endless shops of souvenirs and red coral jewellery.

Am afraid we can't say much more about Santa Teresa. Most of our days began with breakfast at the B&B, then down at the beach.

Rena Bianca first thing in the morning

In the evenings we'd visit town and return for a restful night with the windows open while the waves crashed on the shores below.

We opted not to hire a car in Sardinia, so we weren't inclined to explore the surrounding areas but it's something we'd consider one day in the future (after we learn to drive manual and on the opposite side of the road). We were quite happy to stay put and make up for all lost beach time over the past 3 years. A place like Santa Teresa couldn't be more perfect for this.

After our week in Santa Teresa, we took a ferry (jut one hour) to the French island, Corsica, landing in the beautiful cliff top town of Bonifacio.

Google map of Sardinia (bottom) and Corsica (top)

Sardinia and its capital, Cagliari

The Italian island, Sardinia, is situated off the west coast of Italy and our first stop on the island was its capital, Cagliari. The city is sheltered in a southern harbour of the island and boasts not just a long history but also a beautiful old town called Castello (castle) that lies atop a hill. If you are fortunate enough to fly into the city with a window seat, it is possible to see the spiraling white limestone walls of Castello on the hill and the rest of the city spilling out from its epicentre.

A view over part of the Old Town from the Tower of San Pancrazio

We stayed at the T Hotel, the top rated hotel in Cagliari as voted by the Tripadvisor community.

It calls itself a 'design hotel' so the rooms are minimalist but with attention to detail. It's the first big hotel we have stayed in for awhile and was very much enjoyed. It's only downside was not being of a central location to the city but this was just a short bus ride and was very cheap (2.50 euro for an all day bus pass). Each hotel room at the T Hotel provided an information folder about Cagliari and how to get around, and it let us easily plan our stay, including a number of beach days.


Our first full day in Cagliari was spent exploring the city and doing a bit of sight seeing. We walked along the shopping streets of the city.


Ending up at the Bastion of Saint Remy tower.


Which is now an observation deck and terrace.


The Bastion marks the southern most end of Castello, and its a gentle climb up the hill to the small and quiet streets of old worldly apartment buildings, Cagliari Cathedral and other monuments and sights.


We were happy just to wonder the small streets, shadowed by the apartment buildings.



We found an old coffee shop fitted out with wooden cabinets and a piano, looking like it turned into a small music venue in the evening. The shop had wonderful and cheap gelato, and it was hot so we couldn't resist trying the flavours.


We made our way down to the Marina, the area of town that is on the port.


There were lots little medieval streets packed with shops, eateries and colourful apartment buildings.


One of our guide books told u the best coffee in town was at Caffe' Svizzero (links to Google map location). It read "possibly Cagliari's best coffee institution with a history going back almost a century... coffee and pastries served by smart waiters in an elegant setting under the high vaulted ceiling." And we weren't disappointed, especially with our smooth lattes.


After we made our way to the city's Botanical Gardens. There's a small entrance fee and it was lovely to be among greenery, but the gardens are nothing spectacular, if not somewhat neglected.


Right next door however is the Roman Amphitheatre which dates back to the 2nd century A.D. Depsite its age it is still used today to host summer shows.


The sun was climbing higher in the sky but we continued on back to Castello and to Piazza Arsenale which is the location of various museums including the National Archeology Museum which we visited.


We then found the Tower of San Pancrazio, a wooden tower with countless flights of stairs upwards.


One is rewarded for the climb with expansive views across the whole of Cagliari.


Our day ended at the T Hotel restaurant. The next few days were spent on Poetto Beach. Some 7km of pristine, sandy beach just a 15 minute bus ride from the hotel.


As the high season (July and August) was over the beaches were quiet and we rented sun lounges for all the days we visited the lovely Poetto.


Our days were long, sunny, punctuated by reading, eating, swimming and walks along the sandy shoreline. The waters were emerald and crystal clear.


To the south, Poetto Beach is overlooked by the Sella del Diavolo (Devil's Saddle) called so because of its saddle shape.


To the north, there are countless bath houses and huts which families rent to change and store their belongings for long days at the beach. At the time we were there, many of the huts were deserted.


For our last night in Cagliari, we visited the medieval streets of the city and found a lovely restaurant with wonderful seafood, such as this half stuffed lobster dish.


We were surprised by what Cagliari had to offer. It always felt safe and was easy to get around. It had a great mix of sights, history, museums, shopping and eateries. Poetto Beach really made it a wonderful place to relax and swim at the beach, definitely something we have missed about Australia after 3.5 years in the UK.

Cagliari would not be the end of beach days though. Our next stop was the very north of the island at a little beach town called Santa Teresa.

Florence, Fiesole and Tuscany

Our last European summer as residents of the UK were spent in Italy and France. Our first stop was Florence and Tuscany, where we attended an intimate wedding of friends who also live in London. But for most of our trip, we would spend on the islands of Sardinia (Italy) and Corsica (France). It was a late Friday night we left London for Florence to begin our European summer.


We stayed at a really fantastic B&B in Florence called Tourist House Ghiberti right by the city's Duomo (cathedral). It has been more than 10 years since we both traveled to Florence and Tuscany in our early 20s and it was great to visit the city and surrounds again.


Many people who go to Florence have told us how much they love the shopping. And I couldn't agree more. From markets...


... to high street stores, to little boutiques (like one of my favourites, the Il Papiro paper shop)...


... to luxury brands on the beautiful and historic Via Tornabuoni.

While we were in Florence and Tuscany, I was reading the book, The House of Gucci, a story about the Gucci family, the murder of one of the Gucci members and the building of the luxury brand. I didn't know beforehand, but the Gucci family originated from Tuscany, and nearby Florence was where a lot of the Gucci story takes place. There is also Florence's first Gucci store on Via Tornabuoni, which is still at the same site today. The rest of Via Tornabuoni is lovely, such as this former profumeria inglese (perfume shop) that now houses the luxury accessories brand, Hogan (below) which we visited on our first morning in Florence.


Florence being contained in a tightly packed space means that in one morning the wallet can get a good work out, while sights such as the Ponte Vecchio (the famous bridge dripping in gold jewelery shops) and Duomo can be seen and snapped on camera, all before lunch.


For lunch we with met up with Herlina's friend, Angela, who has been living in Florence for the past year having began her PhD. We've met in London before (where Angela also lived) and then again at Herlina and Damien's wedding in France. Angela took us to the local markets for a spot of food shopping and pasta lunch. Then we wondered around the city for coffee and chats before Angela was off to dance class and we had a taxi take us out to the Tuscany.


We stayed at the B&B il Trebiolo near the villa where the wedding would take place.


The wedding was on a Monday, but we stayed for the weekend to get away from the concrete jungle and crowds of the city. The B&B overlooked the peaceful and misty Tuscan hills.


On the Saturday night the to-be bride and groom hosted a fancy dress party with an 'Italian' theme. We went as gondoliers with gondolier hats from Venice Mum and Dad picked up 2 weeks before when they were visiting there.


Sunday, the sun was out and it was quite warm, so we spent the day by the swimming pool. We joined other wedding friends and guests for dinner in the nearby town of Fiesole (pronounced Fie-sol-ay). A pretty town overlooking Florence from the hills of Tuscany. When we arrived around dinner time, the sun was setting and the local flea market was just packing up.

Clock tower at sunset in Fiesole

Piazza Mino

We dined at a tiny place called Vinandro next to the Piazza Mino. A recommendation by Angela, and it was wonderful. Monday, the day of the wedding, the sun was out and we made another trip to Fiesole in the morning, this time to do a bit of sight seeing.

Fiesole we learnt, was a very old town. In fact it is older than Florence. The first record of Roman's occupying Fiesole was around 283 BC. The Roman presence can still be seen today by ancient ruins of an amphitheatre and baths, among other things. One can discover this and numerous little museums tucked away on the back streets of Fiesole.

Museo Civico

The amphitheatre, Teatro Romano. Despite its age, it is still used today for performances

Ruins of the baths

After a quick bite for lunch, we headed back to the B&B to get dressed for the afternoon ceremony. The day was turning out to be very warm, and very sunny. As the sun beat down on the rambling Tuscan villa and its gardens, the site of the wedding ceremony and reception, the bride and groom exchanged vows in front of a small group of people who had traveled from afar to be there. The ceremony was intimate and heartfelt, and the reception saw an abundance of spectacular Italian dishes serve by white-gloved waiters who bustled around the tables.


The next day we left Tuscany and flew out of Florence to Cagliari, the capital city of Sardinia to begin the beach holiday part of our trip.