Beaches, JP-II, Spritz, and an aspiring young mixologist.
Life is pleasantly 'slow' here in Sardinia. Quite slow. Pulses have slowed accordingly which is also quite nice.
Outside the bar, enjoying a Spritz Aperol, overlooking the small town
Alyssa with her Spritz, Maria with a potato chip
Buona Sera!!
Anna, Eduardo, and little Giorgio have been so welcoming to us. Without their hospitality, the stay here might be more challenging simply because Baia ("Buy-ah") Sardinia/ Costa Smeralda is a connection of very small towns with very little beyond the necessities. The town that we are staying in is called Baia Sardinia (also spelled Baja Sardinia) and it has a small commercial piazza with a collection of boutique shops, souvenir shops, a gelateria, and a few seaside restaurants. Very few buses so car rental is a must along with the ability to drive on small roads with aggressive Italian drivers.
Baia Sardinia's Piazzalle Centrale
Lodging around here ranges from boutique hotels to condos to older homes like we are renting. ( next time I will have Edo be my booking agent) but no large hotels or shops. Unless I become mega-rich in which case I will just park my giant yacht off the coast. Less merchants speak English which brings some difficulties- one might try Italian and mistakenly order fish juice instead of peach juice (pesce vs pesca).
But if you want pristine uncrowded beaches, nice seaside restaurants, and a condo with a $1 million view, I highly recommend it.
Exterior of our older rental home
View from our home with the "large" Renault SUV we squish into
Anna and Edo's Condo with terrace
The view from the terrace
Yesterday (Monday June 19) we started out in the morning by joining Ana, Edo, and Giorgio down at the beach nearest their condo in Baia Sardinia. Jule, Alyssa, and Maria joined Anna with Giorgio in the water while Edo and I held down the fort... err towels on the sand. We did not come with beach towels so you either pay a ton of money for one up at the boutique shops or you buy a large one from one of the many dudes walking up and down the beach selling towels, blankets, hats, water toys, sunglasses. Edo and Jule negotiated a purchase, and the girls were set.
While the air temperature was maybe 85 degrees at the warmest, the sun here is intense so it feels much warmer, plus the humidity is higher than California - so for us "dry" folks from CA, the humidity is a factor in how long you can stand the heat index.
The beach at Baia Sardinia
Eventually the girls opted to rent a little paddle boat complete with a tiny slide on it and paddle around the small bay where we were. Maria was having a great time spotting fsh (not peaches) of all sizes. Alyssa could not resist the little slide on the paddle boat (clearly meant for smaller kids).
Captain Alyssa and First Mate Maria on the SS Fanculo
Maria goes for the plunge
Jule became Giorgio's best friend - well after Maria that is. Jule took Giorgio all over the place in his little raft, helped him fill up his little nerf water gun to hose down unsuspecting beach goers, and helped him check out the little fish swimming near his raft. But when it comes to #1 - Giorgio LOVES Maria and invites himself to sit on her lap whenever he feels like it. Come to think of it, our cats do the same thing... they seek out Maria's lap. She must have an inviting lap.
On a side note, I am not sure why or how the blog text became center justified, but I cannot undo it. So, central it is.
Anyhow, after our couple of hours at the beach, we packed up and walked the short walk to Anna and Edo's condo to have some lunch. Lunch, which I forgot in Italy means a cooked pasta dish or something we consider much nicer than lunch. Not a panini or something. No. Anna full on cooked up some pasta with pesto sauce served with some local Sardinian breads (flat breads). It was delicious. Giorgio stole the show of course, he is such a lovable and fun kid (not quite 4 years old but growing fast and tall). We learned he loves Coca Cola and will chug down a can if given a chance. He knows when to pounce when his parents are not looking.
Jule and the girls brought him a few toys from the USA. The Spider Man walkie talkies were a big hit at lunch yesterday especially as he learned how to produce squeaky feedback by holding them close together. The remote-controlled foot long centipede was on full display today at lunch. We made him quite happy. He gave Maria hugs.
Giorgio chugging a "Coca"
Afternoon equals siesta time - we headed back to our house for getting out of the heat and having a well-earned (not really earned) nap. Had to rest up for what was a very nice experience Monday evening... a drive to the little down in the hills called San Pantaleo. Described as an old, traditional Sardinian town that has managed to preserve its historic center and old buildings. I would compare it to visiting an old gold rush era town in California where the old buildings still remain (i.e. mercantile or blacksmith shop or saloon or bank) but now house shops, cafes, etc. The entire town is 4-5 blocks not counting the main square and awesome historic church (Chiesa di San Pantaleo). For you James Bond fans, San Pantaleo is a town that Bond and Russian counterpart Triple X (not to be confused with the wrestling guy) drive through in a Lotus Esprit searching for the villain. The church itself was quaint (yes, of course I poked inside, you never know what awaits) and fairly simple, but just outside was this amazing statue of St. Pope John-Paul II. I could not find a description on the statue to explain the reason for having this prominent statue in the square outside the church - did JP-II visit there? Or did they just love him enough to dedicate a pretty cool artsy statue to his memory?
St. John Paul II statue in San Pantaleo
San Pantaleo is for sure an artsy town - of the few shops tucked into the old historic buildings, a couple were occupied by small art galleries with very modern pieces on display. After the peak into the church and a glance at the JP-II, the ladies went in search of shopping gems while Edo and I found a table to relax at outside the tiny "Bar -Tabacchi" - you'll see this on small corners in Italian neighborhoods. It is essentially a tiny bar with small tables on the outside where you are meant to have a conversation with a friend over a beer or spritz and maybe you smoke a cigarette or something. Think of it as the American version of a neighborhood bar where everybody knows your name - minus the seating inside, obnoxious Red Sawx decor, and bowls of free pretzels. Instead, the tables are outside, and they brought a bowl of olives and potato chips to snack on (odd mix). Edo ordered a Radler, I had to get in my first Spritz, and Giorgio got a glass of water which ended up being all he needed to create an exciting and exotic mix. The ladies arrived and each ordered a drink. Maria ordered some non-alcoholic fruit drink that made her eyes light up. I have no clue what Anna talked Jule into ordering, but she loved it (it was not fish juice), and Anna ordered a Hugo which is one of the most popular aperitivi in Italy right now. It combines prosecco with elderflower syrup, seltzer and mint leaves. Very refreshing. Alyssa is of legal drinking age and had asked us if she would be allowed to try a drink or wine when here. Of course! So, she was intrigued by my Aperol Spritz and ordered one. She must have liked it because she drank the whole think. They make then very light in Italy so it is more refreshing than potent. Fun to share in this moment for Alyssa - her ordering her first drink and sharing the moment with family in Italy outside a little bar.
And then there was Giorgio! While the rest of us were in good conversation over a mix of good drinks in a good setting, Giorgio the apprentice mixologist was busy at work. Giorgio slowly turned his glass of water into a concoction of water, potato chips, a few olive pits, some cherry from Maria's drink, and some of the mint leaves from Jule's drink and went to work mixing and crushing and mixing until he had himself the world's great mocktail that ever a 3.5-year-old had attempted. He was proud. Momma was a bit embarrassed. I took a photo of the moment.
We will name this drink "Piccolo Ripasso Gigio"
With our little relaxing visit of San Pantaleo over, we headed back down the hill and into Baia Sardinia for a sit-down dinner at one of the restaurants on the beach. The good was good, the local Sardinian Vermentino wine was better. My mom happened to accidentally call me on WhatsApp while at dinner (she meant to text me but hit the call button) so that gave her and my dad a chance to talk to Anna and Edo. Edo quizzed my dad about joining the Dante Club in Fair Oaks (Near Sacramento) after I told him about my dad's "hobby" as a Dante Club member and bocce captain - he takes those roles seriously. I think we will get Edo signed up as the Dante Club's first international member. The visit with my mom and dad was very nice for Anna - she is much like me and wants our Rizzardo family to be close even if we live on different continents. So it was a nice moment, a nice dinner, and a great way to end a very nice day.
One more full day in Sardinia on Tuesday - rumor has it there is a market in the morning to check out, more beach time, a possible visit to a winery, and dinner featuring a local pork delicacy called porceddo. You look it up. I'll post some random photos of our day.
Buona Sera amici.
Maria Geovanna found Maria Giovanna's business.
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