Cagliari!

So I am taking the time, finally, to write about my trip this past weekend to Cagliari, Sardinia (Sardegna in Italian). I booked the trip about three weeks ahead of time, sort of spontaneously, which is a little out of character for me! I really wanted to take advantage of my free weekends though, so I went ahead and did it. Up until the week before I was trying to get a feel for what there was to do, how to get around, restaurants and so on. I was also in touch with the B&B where I had made reservations, which was helpful and comforting. I asked how to use public transportation to get to the B&B, and at a certain point Antonio, who runs the B&B with his wife, offered to pick me up since there had been problems with flooding on the streets earlier in the week. I wasn't really sure what to do at first (and yes, it did occur to me that I was taking a ride from someone I'd never met), but the B&B had very good reviews and seeing as how it was a business and I wasn't confident in taking the buses, I decided to accept the offer.

Since I was flying out of Pisa and needed to take a train first, I had to get up really early on Friday morning. I had the choice of taking a train that would get me to the airport about 2 hours ahead (departing at 6:30) or about 1 hour ahead (departing at 7:30). I decided to opt for the 6:30 train to give myself some room to breathe with time. I got up at an "ungodly hour" as Kristin would say, got myself ready and headed to the station. Upon arriving, I noticed that something was wrong - the boards with all the train information were still listing the very first trains of the morning, not the trains that were actually supposed to be leaving. My first thought was that there could be a strike, so I tried to figure out if trains were actually leaving. I heard some announcements but they weren't really clear. I wasn't sure at first if I should actually buy a ticket or try to take a Terravision shuttle to the airport (another option that costs slightly more). I had about 20 minutes of time to spare, but I spent so much of it trying to figure out what was going on and what to do. Eventually I did buy the ticket and I found a place in the station where the announcements were a little clearer. I heard my train being announced but then when it said "Binario...." I didn't hear the number - darn it. At this point I had very little time before the train was supposed to leave. Finally I asked a Trenitalia employee, and first he tried to check his phone/Blackberry thing, then he checked the posted signs with the general train information for every day. What I hadn't realized before is that the platform (binario) is posted there as well. He told me the binario, and I ran off to try to find the train, as there was very little time left and it was about to leave. When I got there, I asked someone else on the train if it was going to Pisa, and he said yes. Then I realized, oh no, I forgot to validate my ticket. On regional trains above all, you have to stamp your ticket in this yellow machines in the stations in order to validate them - and you can get fined if you don't. One of the conductors saw me on the platform and told me I should get on the train - I sort of desperately waved my ticket and said I hadn't validated it, but he told me to get on the train anyhow and implied that it would be okay. I got on the train and headed back toward the conductor, slightly worried but hoping it would turn out alright. Eventually (after we started moving) he signed off on my ticket as a way of manually validating it. I sat down for the ride and finally was able to relax - I had made the train. There was definitely more stress involved than I would have liked... but I made it nonetheless. I still don't know what was going on with the information boards, but oh well, that's Italy for you.

The rest of the trip went smoothly. I got to the airport, checked in, and did security with plenty of time to spare. The flight left on time and wasn't too long. I couldn't really look out the window since there was thick cloud cover, so I occupied myself by reading a magazine. When I got to Cagliari, Antonio was there with a sign reading "Kathryn Weatherby" on it, so I sort of waved, and we headed off toward the car. On the ride to the B&B, he told me his daughter owns another in Cagliari proper, while he and his wife ran the one in their house in Capoterra, a nearby town. He also talked about how there had been bad flooding that week - I could see the evidence as we rode over the bridge that divides the ocean from the lagoon on the inland side of the road. I had heard that the lagoon is a habitat for many flamingos, and sure enough, there they were! Friday the weather was still cloudy and threatening rain, and I found myself wondering how much I would be able to enjoy the trip if the weather was like that all weekend.

When we arrived in Capoterra, Antonio showed me the two bus stops, the shopping area, a few restaurants, and how I would get to the house from the bus. It really was quite small without a ton of amenities. I think I knew that the B&B wasn't in Cagliari proper, but I hadn't realized how isolated it felt in the town. Either way, I just decided to make the best of it. At the end of the car ride I arrived at the house and Antonio showed me around, including the room where I was staying. The way the situation worked out, it felt very much like I traded my Florentine family for a Sardinian one for the weekend. There was no real division between where my room was and the rest of the house, and throughout the weekend (but especially that first afternoon), I watched TV with Antonio and his wife Simona, read their magazines, petted their cats, and borrowed their computer to check Facebook, e-mail, and the dismal results of the Army-Navy football game.

The other thing that made it so much like my situation here in Florence is that Antonio and Simona were so generous - to a degree that I would never really expect just staying at a B&B. I was essentially an adopted daughter for the weekend. For instance, on Friday afternoon I walked to the beach near Capoterra and explored the small shopping center a bit, but then I came home as it was raining and I had exhausted everything I could do there. A little while later Antonio and Simona invited me to come with them while they shopped for Christmas plants and decorations. So I rode with them to a large warehouse full of plants, plant containers, and various decorations. They loaded up on poinsettias while I wandered around the store (though I was also in a tired funk as I'd gotten up at 5 am!)

Also, I knew that dinner wasn't really included with the stay, but I was going to have to walk out to one of the pizzerias in town, which would hopefully be open, in the rain, and it seemed much more comfortable and natural to eat dinner there at the house. I waited for Simona to ask me though, and made sure it was definitely okay. I felt sort of bad but she was relatively insistent - and it was true that compared to how uncomfortable it would have been for me to go get dinner elsewhere, it wasn't that much trouble for Simona to feed me as well.

Accepting generosity is interesting. Especially on Friday, I felt this mix of awkwardness and gratitude for everything Antonio and Simona were doing for me. At dinner they made the point that they were especially inclined to help me out since I was on my own, and it was low season. This was true, but it was humbling to realize how much worse things could have been had they not been so helpful.

That first night at dinner, Simona made spaghetti with a pesto which included tomatoes, which was delicious, and some cooked vegetables - mushrooms and greens (possibly spinach or something related). Over dinner I discussed many subjects with them - politics, history, cultures, with of course a comparative US-Italian point of view. This is a type of conversation I often end up having here, but of course it was new and interesting to hear their opinions. Antonio seemed to be struck by my interest in all those things (history and politics mostly), and also with my knowledge and interest in the various cuisines of Italy.

I also brought up something I had heard about before my trip, from my Uncle Michael. Basically there is a kind of cheese called casu marzu produced in Sardinia, which is allowed to start decomposing, essentially. Even MORE interesting is the fact that there are larvae digesting and decomposing the cheese, which are often still IN the cheese when it is consumed. I brought this up with Federico before I left for my trip, and he said he'd had it before - and that the worms sometimes jump and fly out of the cheese! He definitely got some pleasure out of sharing that fact with me. Antonio and Simona also confirmed the existence of this cheese, and from what they said it sounds like its quite popular. I think it isn't really exported much, for obvious reasons, but there you have it. I didn't really seek out this cheese, as sea urchin was about as adventurous as I wanted to get on this trip (see below).

The first day ended up feeling sort of like a retreat - as I had a lot of time to think, I didn't do very much, and possibly most importantly, I was off the computer for most of the day. I could definitely feel the renewing effect of a change of scenes.

Saturday was my big "explore Cagliari" day and I was lucky enough to have beautiful weather - sunny skies with friendly clouds and moderate temperatures. I took the regional bus into Cagliari, which was about a 20 minute ride. As I left the bus station, I was met by Piazza Matteotti, the port, and Via Roma, which is the main thoroughfare along the port. Via Roma was impressive in that its architecture seemed very Victorian and was visually striking. I started off by wandering through some of the streets just beyond Via Roma, locating a few restaurants that were recommended by my guidebook and just taking in the atmosphere. That particular neighborhood had the old Europe, narrow street feel I like, but with an especially Mediterranean twist - new colors, new types of architecture, and maybe also just the way the light streamed in between the buildings - I am not sure if I can really put my finger on it.

After that initial exploration, I walked up a major street called Largo Felice to Piazza Yenne, which featured a statue of king Carlo Felice. This might be a good place to point out that Cagliari (and Sardinia) today shows various influences of the powers that dominated it through history - among them the Spanish and the Pisans. Even further back, the Phoenicians and Romans inhabited the island (if I am not mistaken). On the whole, while Cagliari was definitely Italian, I could certainly see some Spanish influences that one doesn't come across in Tuscany.

After Piazza Yenne, I walked down Via Manno which is a hotspot for shopping. It was Saturday and plenty of people were out window shopping and browsing. Reaching the end of Via Manno brought me to Bastione San Remy, one of the main sights I knew I had to see. Bastione San Remy was constructed in the early 1900s, and on top there is a large platform/open area with a great view of the city and surrounding areas. Looking back, I would say Bastione San Remy was one of my favorite places in Cagliari. Once I reached the top, I took plenty of photos and took some time to enjoy the beautiful weather. Then I climbed a few more steps and set off into the Castello district, which is the most historical in Cagliari and houses the Duomo. The difference in atmosphere between Castello and the area below was amazing - Castello was so much quieter, clearly more residential, and had none of the commercialism and restaurants I had seen just a few minutes before. That made it sort of neat to walk around and discover all the little streets of Castello. Soon enough I came upon the Duomo, which was made all in white stone with 3 mosaics over each of the three doors. Apparently it was made in the Pisan style, which I could recognize also by its similiarity to the Duomo in Lucca (which is close to Pisa). I entered the church very quickly, but heard people talking about the time and closing it, so I left almost as quickly as I entered. It's too bad though, because from what I saw there was an incredible amount of detail and decoration inside - I would have liked more time to take it all in, but what can you do?

After exploring Castello a bit more, I headed back down to search out some lunch. I went to Trattoria Gennargentu, which was recommended by my guidebook. I tried to wait as long as I could to head in, but I was the first one there anyway (at about 1 pm). Luckily I didn't feel too awkward - I think the way the waitress acted helped. As time passed, the restaurant filled up rather rapidly, so within 30 minutes it was hopping with customers. I knew I wanted to eat local if possible, which for me meant trying one of Sardinia's seafood specialties. I asked the waitress which types of pasta were local specialties that would be good, and she mentioned the spaghetti with sea urchin, saying they were in season. I went with that option - intrigued at the chance to be a little adventurous and try sea urchin, which I've never had before. I also let her coax me into ordering a "quarto" of the house white wine along with my water, and I was pleased with that decision when I got to taste the wine. The sea urchin pasta dish was tasty - I am not sure how to describe the taste of sea urchin - perhaps slightly fatty with a hint of seafood and something a little sweet too. It wasn't very strong, but it definitely gave the pasta some flavor. Overall the dish was savory and slightly oily, but all in a good way. It wasn't amazingly beautiful to look at, but that went with the style of the restaurant - familiar and casual (and friendly to my wallet).

I was excited when I saw "sebadas" on the dessert list - something Lucia had told me to try when she heard I was going to Cagliari. At that point I knew the dessert somehow incorporated cheese and honey, it sounded intriguing, and I am all about sampling local specialties! I ordered the dish after I'd finished my pasta, and the waitress went off. And I waited... and I waited... and then she stopped by and told me it was on its way... and then I waited... and then she came back and said they didn't have sebadas. WHAT? You don't have the local specialty on your menu and you let me get excited for it for that long before you come back and tell me you don't have any? Thanks... I ordered a panna cotta instead, but I have had that before (when I made it at home) and she just didn't understand how my heart was set on sebadas. Sigh. The panna cotta was good though - it had a berry sauce drizzled on top. Considering I was alone, I spent a long time in the restaurant, mostly waiting for my fantasy sebadas. I emerged about 2 hours after I'd entered, full of sea urchin, panna cotta, and wine but disappointed by the lack of sebadas.

From the guidebooks, I was aware of a good beach just outside Cagliari called Poetto Beach, which is very popular in summer. I'd thought I wouldn't have time to go see it, but as I had seen much of the city by the afternoon and I was curious, I went ahead and decided to go out to the beach while it was still light outside. I figured out which line to take, scoped out the next departure and bought some tickets. 20 minutes later, I was getting off the bus on the street near the beach. I walked for a little while then found a path to the beach itself.

This trip made me realize even more than before that some of the things I like most about the beach are very enjoyable even in low season. The sound of the waves, the sprawling stretch of sand, the breeze, the sun (on a good day) and so on - I really loved Poetto Beach for all those reasons. I took a passeggiata (a walk), took some photos, and enjoyed the atmosphere. Despite the low season timing, the beach was active in a few ways - others walking along like me, some playing beach sports, and plenty of boats out on the water. One of the cool geographical features was the "Devil's Saddle" - a dip in the cliff off to the right side of the beach (facing the water). I'm very glad I saw Poetto Beach, even if it wasn't summer/swimming time.

When I got back to Cagliari itself, I noticed that the sun was going down and realized the sunset over the mountains would probably be beautiful - and I was struck with the idea to head back up to Bastione San Remy to watch it. As the sun was already sinking, I found myself racing time on the uphill trek to Bastione San Remy, topped off by the stairs to get to the very top. In the end though, I made it and I was able to enjoy the sunset. The light was beautiful, along with the way the clouds were tinted blue and purple. Also, I noticed all these birds flying around in twisting and undulating formations - they were suddenly very active at sunset. That provided another thing to watch and observe. I stayed there til the sun went down, and a bit after, and then descended back down. At this point, I was getting tired and almost ready to head back to Capoterra, but I wanted to have dinner in Cagliari. This provided an interesting dilemma, because anything before 8 pm in Italy is considered early, and yet it was about 5 or so when I hit this point. I went down to the port to kill some time, and watched the fountain and the port for a little while, enjoying the promenade area next to the water. Slightly before 6, I was getting tired of killing time, so I headed up to a place I knew would be open - Antico Caffe, near Bastione San Remy. I was unsure if I could actually get substantial food but decided to chance it. I asked if I could get one of the primi (first courses) advertised and my waiter gave me that look like "it's not dinnertime" and said not right now - but they could get me an appetizer plate with mozzarella di bufala and prosciutto. Okay.

This was one of the times I felt the effect of Italian mealtimes most strongly so far here. I have become more habituated to dinner at 8 pm or later, but in this case circumstance was creating my desire to eat at the ghastly early hour of 6. It's funny, I seem to remember a place called the United States where 6 pm is a very common time to eat dinner - where when my family set 6:30 as the normal eating time, it was later than a lot of other families. Interesting. That is not reality at all here though, so I made dinner out of some (very delicious) mozzarella di bufala and prosciutto, resigned to the fact that I was making myself obvious as an outsider. I then asked if they had sebadas, but alas it was not to be, so I had a canoli instead. Well, canolo in the singular... and I did restrict myself to one. I also got a post-dinner caffe macchiato to restore some of my Italian eating customs and called it a night. I made my way back to the bus station and waited for the departure of the 7:30 bus, after killing some more time at the port first.

For the first part of the weekend, I was very unsure of what I'd do on Sunday, especially if the weather was less than optimal. Yup - *I* was leaving a decision like that until the last minute. And guess what - it turned out okay! The weather was actually quite nice again on Sunday, so I decided to go back to Cagliari in search of a yummy lunch and a bit more excitement. After I arrived back in the city, I wandered around some more, and went back up to Bastione San Remy and Castello in an attempt to see the Duomo on the inside again. Alas, I was able to get in but quickly realized there was mass or something similar going on, so I left quickly once more.

When lunchtime came, I realized that finding an open restaurant might not be easy to find, so I was keeping my eyes open for possibilities. Eventually I went toward a restaurant I'd read about online, a wine bar called Eno. Victory! It was open! And when I got there, there were already other customers seated. Double victory! I also liked the atmosphere/decor, and there was a TV - handy for solo diners like myself.

Since I knew I wouldn't get dessert, I decided to order an appetizer. I ended up choosing roasted pecorino, which sounded better hypothetically than it was. It was definitely good, but as it amounted to some heated/melted cheese, it was somewhat heavy and fatty and left me feeling sort of gluttonous. For wine, I decided to order something a bit more fancy than the house wine (though that would have been good) and went for one of the cheapest by the glass options - a wine called Argiolas Selegas, local to Sardinia. I very much enjoyed it, though I feel like I'd be able to describe it better if my palette for wine were more developed. I very much enjoy noticing the differences between and tastes of various wines, but considering that I am not even of legal drinking age in my native country, I haven't had much chance yet to experience many types of wine. In time, I suppose.

For my main course, I ordered a dish called "fregola ai frutti di mare". I had to ask the waitress was fregola was - it was a type of pasta. It had me a bit confused at first, as it made me think of strawberries. Strawberries with seafood? I don't know... but the word for strawberry is fragola, with an A, so I was safe. I definitely enjoyed the dish - fregola are very small pieces of pasta, and they were mixed with a tomato-based sauce and pieces of seafood - some types of fish, a couple shrimp, and some mussels. Yum.

I was very satisfied with the lunch - on its own it merited the second trip into Cagliari. For the rest of the afternoon, I think I walked around, went down the port again, and wandered through the Villanova (Spanish influenced) district. It was interesting, but really quiet (I think because it was Sunday afternoon) so I didn't stay very long. Eventually I headed back to Capoterra, right around sunset, and spent the rest of the evening at the house/B&B. Sort of like the other night, I offered to go out and get my own dinner, but accepted Simona's offer to eat there, admitting that it would be more convenient (along with profuse thanks). That night she made rabbit with vegetables and mashed potatoes.

Also, at Eno, Sebadas was on the menu but I didn't opt for it, because I had mentioned my unsuccessful search to Antonio and Simona, and of course being them they offered to procure some sebadas for me for Sunday night. So the rabbit an mashed potato dinner was capped off with sebadas... finally. And it was good. It was basically a flat pastry filled with melted cheese, smothered with honey and heated up. It was very yummy. I realize that cheese and honey may not sound like the best combination, but I really enjoy it. In Florence I've also had pieces of normal temperature pecorino drizzled with honey.

That night I watched TV (by the fire!) with Antonio and Simona, packed up most of my stuff, and then went to bed. Oh yes, that reminds me, when Antonio picked me up on Friday, he had just picked up a huge batch of clementines, and then Simona was feeding them to me throughout the weekend, haha. They were very sweet and delicious. Also, breakfast was good each morning - Simona would make me a cappuccino, and lay out a plethora of options, my favorite of which was multigrain toast with butter. In Firenze, the family usually only has white bread, so it was nice to enjoy some crunchy hearty bread for a change. And buttered toast is one of my favorite simple pleasures in life, so it was just good all around.

Come Monday morning, I was definitely ready to head back to Firenze, but very glad about the decision I'd made to make the trip to Cagliari. The change of scenery was really reinvigorating and allowed me to sort of refocus on these next few weeks and everything coming up. I really enjoyed the sunsets, the natural beauty, the beaches, and of course meeting a wonderful nice couple like Antonio and Simona.

Everything for the trip back went smoothly - and the sky was crystal clear so I got to see the rest of Sardinia, Corsica, Elba, the mountains in northern Italy, and I think maybe even the Leaning Tower during the flight to Pisa! It was really cool, especially since I recognized a lot of what I saw from maps. Once I got back, I was happy to be back in my Firenze room, on my Firenze bed, and I quickly uploaded all my photos - which you can see on Picasa. As you saw, there is a sample at the beginning of this entry.

This week, I am taking care of some Christmas related things, trying to really make progress on the work I need to do for my exam Tuesday, and getting ever more excited for David to arrive in about a week and a half. These next few days I really need to put in some academic work, but I think the time pressure will kick me into gear, so to speak. In fact, now I am going to end this ridiculously long blog in order to get some more work done. Hopefully you enjoyed my stories! Til next time!