Monday, July 29, 2013

Calgiari
We spent almost four days in Calgiari, the capital of Sardenia. We were looked after extremely well by Cornelia and Carlo who live in Calgiari. Cornelia is a cousin of our friend Terri Kay.

 Dinner at Dal Corsaro in Calgiari
Judy and Cornelia (Nelly)
John and Carlo

 Visit to the market with Cornelia and Carlo

 Fish market

 View from the hilltop citadel - Il Castello in the centre of Calgiari
 ... another view
 ... and another view
 Torre di San Pancrazio on Il Castello
 Another view from Il Castello
 View from Bastione San Remy at the south of Il Castello
 Carlo preparing dinner with assistance from Cornelia

 
 Stairway from Piazza Costituzione to Bastione San Remy
 Roman ampitheatre in Calgiari

 Apartments on the edge of Il Castello
Antico Caffe at Piazza Costituzione
 Pizza dinner with Cornelia and Carlo
 Cacti garden at Orto Botanico


Ruins of the church of Santa Lucia - the oldest church inside Calgiari's city walls





Sunday, July 21, 2013

Pula and Nora
We stayed on the south coast at Pula for two nights. Visited the archaeological site at Nora (Phoenician and Roman settlement) - and went to the beach.

 Spanish defensive tower on the promontory at Nora - now a lighthouse
 View from the tower
 ... another view
 archeaological site at Nora
 Mosaic floor in Roman house at Nora
 Street in Pula - our B&B is somewhere on the left
Our B&B in Pula

 The beach at Chia near Pula

Thursday, July 18, 2013

Bosa, Tharros, Santa Vera Milis and Barumini
Travelling down the west coast we visited the coastal town Bosa and then the archaeological site at Tharros - a settlement founded by the Phoenicians around the 8th century BC. We spent the night at an agriturismo (farm stay accommodation) near the village of Santa Vera Milis.  The next day we continued south visiting Su Nuraxi, the Nuraghe archeaological site near Barumini.



 Bosa - with Castello Malaspine in the background
 Street in Bosa
 Pastel coloured houses on the hillside above Bosa - our guide book likened this to a Paul Klee painting.
The Phoenician settlement at Tharros
 Tharros
 Dinner at the L'Orto agriturismo - wonderful food ... and company
John had plenty of practice with Italian
 A Nuraghe archeaological site near Barumini

 Inside the main defensive tower on the hill - over three stories high.
 
 Morning coffee at a small village - no women in sight at 11 am.
An ancient physiotherapist helping a lady with her injured arm
Alghero, Sardinia
We spent a couple of days at Alghero, a medieval walled town on the west coast of Sardinia, and visited the surrounding area.
Caves at Cape Caccia
 Grotto di Nettuna at Capo Caccia - entry to the caves
 656 steps down to the Grotto di Nettuna from the top of a 110 metre cliff
 Porte Conte - between Alghero and Capo Caccia - watchtower at the end of the promontory

 White donkey in Le Prigionette Nature Reserve
 Lago Baratz - Sardinia's only natural lake
 Nuraghe di Palmavera - bronze age fortified settlement
 Oleanders were in flower - we have seen them lining the roads everywhere in Sardinia.
A street in the old town of Alghero
 Alghero sea wall defences
Alghero port and marina