sardinia part II

Just as our day at the vineyards in the southern most point of the island, midweek of our holiday saw another early rising / out of the villa day.  With several boat license holders in the group, we decided to rent a boat for the day to explore the beaches and little islands around Sardinia.

First thing in the morning, half the group went down to the port to fetch the boat and the other half of the group made a quick trip to the store for beer, rosé, coolers, charcuterie, and another snorkel/fin set to accompany the set we already had.  Have you ever been grocery shopping with a large group while on holiday?  It's the best.  Armed with one or two shopping carts and an outlook of too much money in my back account, the group wanders the store throwing in random items in the cart (or filling their arms if they get separated from the pack) and then converging at the checkout with a massive hodge-podge that always seems to work.

Post grocery run, we manage to get all our gear down to the port with assistance from a sweet cab driver who was heading that way (see? borderline stalker nice people).  Marco and I snuck away for due cappuccini e cornetti while the group loaded the boat.

All aboard, we slowly made our way out of the no wake zone passing yachts (the size of small countries) that dwarfed our sweet and humble little rental boat.  As we made it out to the choppy open waters, all were quiet as we gazed out to the endless bright blue waters.

We heard that exploring these uninhabited islands dotted around Sardinia (by boat is the only way) we would see some of the best beaches. We followed the coast for some time while Chris and Daryl (star driver and MVP navigator) got their bearings.  We had an idea of what islands and beaches we wanted to check out but for the most part we were just up for a whatever-we-stumble-upon adventure.

We anchored at four to five different island beaches throughout the day.  I didn't have my camera out as often as I wanted (water water everywhere) but I must have 10,000 photos of that BLUE water.

We snorkeled, cliff jumped, steadied cans of beers in our hands while we swan into land to lounge on white sand beaches.  Then we swam back to the boat and it was on to the next.  It was a total smug filled, life doesn't get much better than this kind of day.  We returned to Porto Rotondo in the evening, exhausted from a sun/wind/rosé filled day.

The last few days of the blissful week were filled with lazy beach lounging, evenings cocktails on the terrace or by the pool, and group effort prepared meals.

One evening we decided to grill whole fish on that dream of a open fire stone oven in the garden. (SO fresh was the catch of the day, that the guys that went down to the market to get the fish had to wait for the fisherman to return from his day on the water.)

Keeping it simple, Chris stuffed the fish with herbs and lemon.   We also grilled fennel, salami, small peppers, and fresh bread.  While the fish cooked we stood around the grill with our Aperol spritzers, snacking on the grilled bread topped with olive oil + ricotta + peppers + sea salt.

On the final night, per recommendation of Fabio at Pala, we made reservations at Ristorante Enoteca da Giovannino for our last supper.  The chef is known for her house made pastas.  I had the monkfish ravioli with tropea onion sauce (a small, sweet Italian red onion.)

Our meals in Sardinia were some memorable ones.  And just like past trips to various parts of Italy, Sardinia reminded me that just a few fresh + quality ingredients make for easy but spectacular dishes.  

Thank you to Sebastian and Maria for organizing an incredible week.  And to the rest of the group - Marco and I truly enjoyed every bit of your company.  See you next summer, if babies are allowed...

sardinia part I

Most of our European getaways are three to four days at a time then it is back to work and day-to-day in the English countryside.   June saw a proper getaway for us – a week long Italian holiday.

Marco and I were lucky enough to join our St. Tropez crew (plus a few new additions to the group) on the Italian island of Sardinia for seven blissful days under that Mediterranean sun. 

We rented a villa in the town of Porto Rotondo on the Costa Smeralda.  We enjoyed the sleepy vibe of the yacht town.  It had just a handful of cafés, restaurants, gelato stands, and great upscale shops catering to the yacht life clientele that briefly stop through or use the port as home base for the summer.  June is the perfect time to visit Italian holiday destinations as it is just before the high season.

On Saturday morning Marco and I arrived well before the rest of the group and before we could get into the rental villa.  We killed time by hitting up the market for some fresh ricotta, prosciutto, and crusty bread.  We had a picnic along the port watching the crews of each yacht do their morning cleaning routine.  Ever seen a dirty yacht?  Those massive things are kept so sparkly.

By late afternoon the entire group had arrived.  Giddy as we toured each corner of the home, we quickly dubbed it Real World Sardinia.  The group assembled on the terrace and around the pool at sunset, glass of rosé or beer in hand, as we discussed the plan for the first evening meal.  Keeping it simple the first night - the guys hit up the market for lamb chops, sausages, and veg to grill on the open fire stone stove in the garden.  And major fist bumps when the boys added to the list and came back with bundles of fresh Italian cheeses and charcuterie to enjoy while we hung out by the grill.  We enjoyed the evening meal in the garden at the poolside king’s table.  We passed each dish and kept every wine glass full while enjoying each others company.

The mornings were always slow moving.  Some went for runs to the beach or along the port.  Some cooked up a spread of eggs, the previous night's leftovers, and sliced + salted tomatoes for those who were up and milling around the house.  And as I was officially alcohol free - I enjoyed clear headed/quiet house mornings collecting empty wine bottles, emptying ashtrays, and enjoying fresh fruit and Italian coffee on the terrace until I felt it was an appropriate time to wake my husband for a walk down to the café for due cappuccini e cornetti co crema. 

Once the entire group was up and corralled on Sunday morning we hit the beach for the day.  We relaxed, waboba-ed, read, and strolled the path to the nearby quaint yacht club for some cold ones.  On the sand we chatted up a girl from New Zealand who spends her summers working on a private yacht.  Her clients are Russians who come to their Sardinia home for the summer using it as their home base.  Their yachts (a separate one for the kids!) sit in the waters just down the hill ready to leave at hours’ notice for where ever they want to set off to in the Mediterranean.  We drilled our new Kiwi friend with questions, fascinated by her job.  As massive as the boats look, it is just she and her captain that do everything to make things run smoothly - cooking, cleaning, planning routes, captaining.  We were surprised to hear that the privileged, jet-setting, Ivy League educated kids were great to tend to.

Sunday night we hit up a restaurant in Porto Rotondo for Neapolitan pizzas and Aperol spritzers before calling it a night as we had to be up early Monday morning for big plans.

Major V.I.P. of our group, Chris, set up a day with one of his dear clients, Pala.  We managed to get the group up and out of the house by 8 AM for a three hour drive to the southernmost part of Sardinia to visit Pala winery and their estate vineyards. 

We arrived and were graciously welcomed by Fabio who works for Pala and Mario Pala, the fourth generation at the helm of the 60+ year old vineyard.  It was Mario’s grandfather who produced Pala’s first vintage in 1950. 

After introductions, Mario and Fabio drove us up the nearby hills dotted with Pala vineyards.  We strolled the gravel roads learning about the grapes, the history of the region, and taking in the vista views (aka finding the best vantage points for Instagram documentation).  Squinting from the bright Italian sun and mentally blocking out my regret for once again not putting on sunscreen, I was in awe of being surrounded by vineyards and olive groves that stretched as far as the eye could see.

After visiting several of Pala’s vineyards and a historic Roman church that sits nearby we drove back down to the winery to take in the barrel room, steel tanks, and bottling warehouse.  We enjoyed a glass of Pala’s rosé before heading to nearby city Cagliari for lunch at Luigi Pomata.

We all felt honored to dine at renowned chef Luigi Pomata’s restaurant.  Fabio, Mario, and Luigi planned a six course tasting menu paired with Pala wines.  Nothing will make you appreciate each swirl, sniff, and sip more than enjoying it next to the gentlemen who KNOW.  Then there was the charismatic character that is Luigi who came out to introduce each course to the group. The wine flowed, the courses kept coming, and Fabio told story after story about Sardinia: its history, must do’s and must see beaches, and my favorite – all Sardinians are dubbed borderline stalkers because they are so kind.  We all felt we owed our first born to our gracious hosts and expected to say our goodbyes after wonderful morning and lunch but the guys proceeded to insist on being our city guides.  They escorted us around Cagliari for the afternoon.  Fabio even insisted we follow him out of the city to insure we didn’t get on the detour highway route. 

We headed back north armed with cases of Pala Rosé, Vermentino, and Cannonau that Mario so generously gifted the group. 

It was just the beginning of the blissful week.