JUNE 2023 : DAY 18 : SARDINIA : Cagliari

Hotel Flora

Cappuccinos and croissants in the hotel garden room for breakfast 



This morning we headed off to the south-west coast of Sardinia

First stop for a panoramic view of the coast was at Nebida. Unexpected high Mistral winds this morning had brought the Carabinieri out to deal with a fallen tree blocking the coast road.

This morning was all about the Sardinian mining industry. Defunct mines and associated buildings lay dormant in the part of the coast now that silver, lead, iron and zinc have not been  mined since the 1950s.

Our destination today was Porto Flavia, a safe harbour near the island, Pan di Zucchero. 

Porto Flavia was a tunnel excavated  in 1923-4, through which minerals could be processed and then loaded on to ships for immediate export.

It was named after the daughter of the engineer, Cesare Vecelli.

The tour through the two 600m tunnels (on top of each other) was fascinating. When operational there was a 16m conveyor belt in the lower tunnel that could fully load a steamship moored at the cliff in two days.

There was a group of priests on the tour, one particularly reminded me of my dad. In fact, he was the retired bishop of the diocese of Nuoro - more in common than I first suspected.

One of the mines in the area was dedicated to Santa Barbara, who is the patron saint of mining, fires and architects, which suggests another martyr with an interesting story. A Greek Saint of the late 3rd century AD. A beautiful girl, whose father locked her away to save her from the world. She secretly converted to Christianity and when she admitted this to her father he continually tortured her by fire, beatings, even with a hammer but miraculously her wounds healed. So her father had her beheaded - returning home after his deadly deed, he was hit by lightning and died.





A pizza lunch on a panoramic walkway in Nebida.

A drive south past exclusive resorts…

And historic beaches..

Nora has a remarkable historic site, dating back to the Phonecians in the 8th century BC. It was then settled by the Carthaginians and Romans but abandoned in the 5th century AD, when the settlement was moved inland as it was too vulnerable to pirates.

Back to Cagliari about 6pm.

Dinner in the hotel dining room. Convenient and quiet. (Fried fish pieces, lamb cutlets, beef fillet and  for dessert a sweet ravioli dish - ravioli stuffed with pecorino, deep-fried and served with honey)

Although there are lots of vegetables displayed in the market, there is no choice on the menus - just roast potato and very simple salad. When I asked Paola about this she said locals consider vegetables ‘hospital food’.

Sadly, today was our last day of our tour with Paola. It has been a wonderful experience with not a second of awkwardness. She was informative, relaxed, excellent company and highly professional. Fortunately she will join us on Friday for a cooking session she has organised for us with a friend of hers.

M&M

Paola Deplano can be contacted through toursbylocals.com