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.