In Jerzu, for the "Festival dei Tacchi"

This is a guest post from Damiano of Turismo Sardegna, travel agency from my hometown. I've rarely hosted guest posts on my blog, I do only when I feel the article is in line with the purpose of the blog itself. And of course, after all I've written about my hometown, anything from Sardinia is more than welcome here.

Sardinia is a land full of history, culture, food, nature and dialects different from the rest of Italy.

But for most people, Sardinia is just an island of beautiful beaches and colourful waters, with delicious culinary and wine traditions and where sometimes traditional fairs and religious celebrations, such as the Sagra of Saint Efisio in Cagliari, take place.

However, Sardinia is also a land of music and theatre festivals which, every year, bring international artists from all over the world to this idyllic sunny corner of paradise.

Our journey made of music and theatre starts in Ogliastra. On Sardinia's eastern coast, it is the territory of the Cannonau vineyards, a land that you can also enjoy exploring or undertake some hiking between the coast and the mountains.

At the beginning of August, Jerzu, Ulassai and the Tacchi mountains will hold an international theatre festival called Festival dei Tacchi.

During these days, Jerzu (the main village) also celebrates the Cannonau (together with Vermentino, Malvasia, Monica and the Carignano, one of the most famous grapes in the island), an excellent, full-bodied red wine.

For a smart traveller with a hearty appetite, this is a great opportunity to enjoy wines, local gastronomy, music and theatre in the unspoilt nature of the Ogliastra.

Ulassai's canyon is also regarded as one of Sardinia's best free climbing sites.

Finally Arbatax (35 km away from Jerzu) is worth a visit for the typical red rocks.

The festival is called “The Tacchi Festival”, because it takes place in the area of the "Tacchi", a limestone formation which looks like upturned shoe heels, namely “tacchi” in Italian.

I could enjoy this festival several times, and sometimes I was even involved in its organisation, which was a truly great experience. Going to Ogliastra during the “Tacchi Festival” means intense days of discovering the surroundings.

On the morning, explore the coastal area around Jerzu. After a quick shower, just go for a stroll around the city centre of Jerzu or Ulassai in the wait for the next shows to come...
Please, when wandering about theses cities, do not miss the opportunity to taste the typical street food of Ogliastra, such as Coccoi Prena and Coccoi 'e tamata; and if you can afford it, treat yourself to a typical succulent dinner at the “Da Concetta” restaurant.

Interestingly, during the past ten editions, almost all the best actors and theatre companies have been involved in this festival. The best thing about it? Almost all the people involved in the event live in the area so, if you are lucky enough, you will have the chance to have with the actors, musicians or journalists. If you are not that lucky, just attend seminars, workshops and theatre sessions where you will be in touch with them!

Every year, at the same time, the city of Jerzu also hosts a great wine festival. Jerzu is in fact the "capital" of the Cannonau red wine district, Sardinia's most popular wine. The Cannonau wine festival mainly features wine and traditional Ogliastra food tasting in about twenty small “garage” wineries, as well as seminars, concerts and arts and crafts.

During the event, a lot of wineries will be open till late, offering wine and a great variety of local recipes to visitors. This is the kind of street food festival where people, a glass of wine in one hand and a small plate full of food in the other, will be walking up and down the main streets... getting increasingly happy thanks to the wine!

Accommodation

Another great plus for travellers who decide to visit Ogliastra during the Tacchi Festival is that anyone can choose the accommodation they prefer.
Backpackers can camp for free in the beautiful San Antonio wood, at about 5 kilometres from Jerzu.
However, budget hotels are widely available in Jerzu or Ulassai and it is also possible to rent a small apartment for the festival.

Travel to Ogliastra

By Ferry. There are different routes available from Italy mainland to reach Sardinia and the closest to Jerzu and Ulassai is with Tirrenia Ferries that offer great deals and promotions on Arbatax.
By plane. Cagliari, Alghero and Olbia are regularly served by low cost airlines.

Resources:

Ogliastra Province Touristic Office. Website in English: http://www.turismo.ogliastra.it/English/

Looking back at my travels in 2010

I've been reading to sweetest post about travel memories by Liz Borod Wright of Travelogged and it made me realise how much I've travelled in 2010.

S'Ardia

After having left home in 1998, and spent seven years in Rome, two in Dublin and two in London, I finally made it back to my hometown, Sardinia, for quite a long while. This has given me the invaluable chance to spend some quality time with my parents, visit places I had never seen, carry out some research on the fascinating past of my island, meet interesting people, going down Europe's deepest canyon, participate to some of my favourite local festivals such as S'Ardia in Sedilo and the Mamuthones of Mamoiada, enjoy Sardinia's culinary delicacies and listening to my grandmother's extraordinary story of when she and my grandfather left the island to move to France in the late '50s.

Local getting ready for dune driving in Abu Dhabi desert

During the year I spent in Sardinia, I have also travelled to the Middle East, a region that has always captivated me. So far I've only been to the UAE, but I liked it so much that it won't take me long to go back and explore the rest of that charming corner of the planet. My short, yet unforgettable, stay in the Emirates gave me the chance to spark my passion for the desert, not only for the timeless beauty of its endless stretch of sandy dunes, but also because I could better understand the past and the culture of this young nation.

I thoroughly enjoyed dawdling about Dubai and admired its quirky skyline, but have been captured by the characters I met in Abu Dhabi local markets, the typical places where you can genuinely sense a country's identity.

Gordes, Provence

Before leaving Europe, I somehow felt compelled to make another trip within the Old Continent, and this is how, end of Mars, I ended up in the French region of Provence, where my aunt lives. Here I had the unique opportunity to visit the creepiest dolls' house I had ever seen, be able to picture how was the life of the infamous Marquis De Sade after the Catholic Church banned him and his works from public life, wander the streets of a ghost town, and enjoy a photo-trip in Gordes, picturesque village located right on the edge of a cliff.

After all this traveling around, I finally made it to my new hometown, and last July I landed in China. For who's been following my blog, it's not a mystery that the beginning of my stay in Shanghai has been quite a shock and more than once I thought I couldn't make it.

The Great Wall of China

Fortunately, however, my Sardinian roots provided me with a good deal of stubbornness and made me refuse to admit defeat. Now I'm glad I stuck to my original plan, otherwise I wouldn't have visited so many great places such as the Great Wall or picturesque water towns, I wouldn't have met such beautiful people, I wouldn't have had the chance to explore the fascinating culture of ancient China, and especially I would have missed the chance to challenge myself with studying Mandarin, activity with the unique feature of making me realise that the more I learn the less I understand.

Despite this barrier and my initial shock, I've been gradually collecting little defining moments in the "Country of the middle", conquests that are contributing in shaping my personality, enriching my life experience and opening my mind to a whole new set of priorities. In a nutshell, I'm applying for a visa extension.

2010 has been exciting and challenging, and I wish 2011 will be as constructive and inspiring. Happy New Year everybody!

In Atlantis, in a Giants' Tomb

Sardinia is land of ageless beauty, to the extent that researchers are all busy to prove the island is the lost civilisation of Atlantis. Among these, the most devoted to the cause is journalist Sergio Frau.

Frau, analysing ancient texts and comparing them with the present geography, places the Pillars of Hercules in Sicily so, according to Plato's directions, Atlantis is to be found in Sardinia.

The Greek philosopher, in fact, placed the legendary island, "insula Atlantis," in front of the Pillars of Hercules (Sicily) and on the west of the Strait of Gibraltar. Following all these references, Atlantis can only be Sardinia.

The island fits this explanation also thanks to the presence in its history of a lost civilisation, called nuragica. The whole territory is dotted with Bronze-Age stone towers, called nuraghi, that were used both as stronghold against foreign invasions and as habitation.

Frau, and many geologists, argue that four centuries before Christ a tsunami hit the island, destroying the nuragic civilisation, and maybe the civilisation of Atlantis. Geologists support this argument with the fact that one of the biggest and best kept nuraghi has been found under a thick layer of mud.

Apart from thousands of nuraghi, in the island can be found many other buildings even prior to the nuragic civilisation, such as Fairies' Houses, Dolmen, Menir, sacred wells and Giants' Tombs. Almost all of them are connected to pagan rituals, as they were tombs or worship areas. Among these, the Giants' Tombs have always inspired a great deal of interest, not only among scientists and researchers, but also among the population. Why?

It's widely believed that around a Giants' Tomb there is a magnetic field able to release positive energy. Historical research says they had funerary purposes, however they happen to be a little too big to be a single grave. Maybe more than one corpse were laid there after the burial ceremony? Or maybe they kept some more space on purpose to put other objects to help the dead cross over or to bring with wherever they were going, "Egypt-style"?

Where historical research stops, popular belief comes along. Many people take the Giants' Tomb as a place to restore from daily stress and go there to absorb some of the energies that our ancestors managed to identify in those strategic spots.

A friend of mine told me that when she goes to any of the Giants' Tombs she feels strengthened, so I had to try.

I went to the Giants' Tomb of Dorgali and followed "the expert's instructions". I sat beside the tomb, lied underneath, stepped on top of it (not sure if this was allowed or might have been considered profane some 5,000 years ago) and walked all around.

I can't really say what effect it had on me, maybe because it was also my first approach to such "natural remedies" to modern hustle and bustle.

Truth be said, Sardinia si a place where popular beliefs are as alive as they were thousands of years ago, and the pagan element never disappeared, despite the efforts of the Catholic Church to erase any previous ritual.

Land of mystery and unspoken traditions, Sardinia never fails to charm tourists and locals alike, as behind every single corner there is a secret to be discovered.

First swim of the season, at last!

Finally, summer has started in Sardinia too, and last week I managed to take my first swim of the season.

I admit, I was starting to worry when June was nearing the end and temperatures didn't seem eager to rise, but finally, the heat has hit this usually sunny Italian island and I made it to the beach.

Here some photos, I hope you will enjoy.

 

When having a local guide becomes vital

I have always believed that a foreign country is best experienced with the help of local guides. By "guide" I don't mean necessarily tour operators - if you are lucky enough to have friends living in that foreign country, problem is solved.

In general, I think a local guide is important because they will help travelers dig deeper into a foreign society, avoiding them possible time-wasting in the lookout for the most worthwhile spots, especially in the case of a short trip.

However, sometimes contacting a local guide becomes "mandatory". My previous post (I know, long time ago, apologies, I've been busy writing) was about my trekking weekend in Europe's deepest canyon gorge, Su Gorroppu, in Sardinia's Supramonte. I went trekking, and I had my local guide. With "local" here I mean a guy who lives in Dorgali, a town near Su Gorroppu, and who's been going to the canyon since he was a child.

I'm from Sardinia myself, and I would never try to go there alone. Apparently, though, some dare. And get lost. Now, getting lost in a city is not a big deal. Getting lost in Supramonte *is* a major deal.

In the regional newspaper, L'Unione Sarda, I read an article which has a hilarious twist. Well, hilarious for who doesn't have anything to do with it. A while ago, the local rescue team (usually the local guides I've contacted myself) went to Su Gorroppu to look for a tourist (from Sardinia) who got lost and was never found, since December 27th. While looking for him, the rescuers found, by a very fortunate incident, a Japanese tourist who lost his way and couldn't manage to call for help. In some areas in the mountains, there's no mobile coverage.

Last week, the same rescue team was called again - it seems like these guys work during the day to bring tourists down the canyon and during the night to look for the "independent" ones.

Anyhow, they were asked to find two German tourists and they found three: one had been wandering about, lost, for two days and nobody knew about it.

Arriving close to the mountains, from the highway, the effect is one of astonishment: those massive rocks command the view. I'm usually more a "sea-person", but that landscape was truly overwhelming, so I can understand that for mountain-lovers it's a challenge not to be missed.

However, the best advice I can give, is to pay extra attention not only in these mountains in Sardinia, but in general, every time travelers want to undertake similar adventurous trips.

In Sardinia, walking down Europe's deepest canyon

Su Gorroppu, Dorgali

I had been warned it was tough, but in line with Sardinian stubbornness, I challenged my out-of-shapeness and made my way to Europe's deepest canyon, Su Gorroppu, near Dorgali, Sardinia's eastern coast.

The deal involved parking our car (after a drive along the very edge of a steep cliff) 200 mt above the gorge of the canyon and walking down towards the valley. "It cannot be that difficult," I thought. It didn't take me long to change my mind.

From second one, I had to mind every single step in order to avoid slipping down the cliff. The path bristled with small rolling stones that made it slippery, and bigger boulders that only apparently were stuck in the ground but that actually rolled too. And even the ones that were stuck were slippery because too worn out, for that matter.

The walk started quietly, the members of my group very interested in our guides' explanations, but after a while, all our geologic interest was inevitably fading away. We were too concentrated on placing our feet on the right stones.

The view was overwhelming, every time I looked in front of me I couldn't help but thinking how small man-made wonders are compared to what nature has done.

Being naturally rich in wood, also valuable species such as juniper, the mountains have been the target of former Italian royal family, the Savoia, who, when they colonised the island creating the Sardo-Piedmont kingdom, started a real sack, exploiting the natives and destroying the forests to obtain wood, coal and scented ashes for the houses. Thousands of trees have been cut down, burnt and loaded to the ships on the way to Piedmont. The result has been a huge damage for the environment (and for the local population), and only now little by little the forest is beginning to come back to normal.

In particularly difficult spots, I started cursing myself for having chosen this excursion instead of some other great places Sardinia is full of, and certainly less dangerous. No matter what, I kept shooting, in the hope to come out at least with some good pictures. I saw the woman behind me looking puzzled: "I admire your willingness on photographing!" She told me, sweating.

The route was actually hard, full of trees (the only handhold I could rely on), and very narrow, so we asked our guides: "What if someone gets his ankle sprained?" "No helicopter nor ambulance can manage to get here," was the guides pithy answer. "We leave the weak here, wildlife have the right to eat too!" Drowsy laugh from the rest of the group.

The moments I was getting despondent, I threatened: "That's it, I'm not moving anymore!" Bad choice, really not the case to get lost in the middle of nowhere, I wouldn't have been able to find my way back to the car, I had to keep going, no way out.

Once reached the destination, my fury calmed down, being on the bottom of the canyon was worth our fatigue, and our courage was restored. Good for us, because we were about to do uphill the same route we had just descended from.

I kept shaking all evening, my mood having ranged from panic to discouragement all day. I swore I would never go back again: the day after I had already changed my mind and started planning the next excursion.

Southern Italians are less clever than Northern Italians

If you are thinking that this title is a racist-based joke, you might want to think again. In fact, it's the result of academic professor Richard Lynn's latest research, nonetheless. I'm not sure what kind of sources Mr Lynn has used, but I'm ready to bet that the illiterate members of Italian Northern League party have played a substantial role in this enlightening work.

In his previous theories Lynn has argued that men are more clever than women and that the lighter the skin colour the more clever the person is. Needless to say, he's a man and he can boast a very pale skin colour. What a coincidence. Plus, he has white hair so I guess he's even more intelligent than white men with black hair. In his essay about Italy, he tries to make people believe that the more southwards you go the more stupid people are. In a nutshell, Sicilians are completely dumb. Never mind for the writers or scientists the island has produced.

The "proof" (what a proof!) would be that Southern Italy has had in the past a greater presence of Middle Eastern and North African populations, so mixing ethnic groups has proved fatal for IQ ranks. This, according to Lynn, has nevertheless caused differences in "income, education, infant mortality, stature and literacy." 

I can't list here all the evidence against this theory as it would take me a month and a post way too long for blogs standards. It would suffice to say that the professor (please note, professor, not lecturer) shows a deep ignorance on Italian literature, history, geopolitical patterns (past and present) and sociological studies. To the extent that even the most ignorant Sicilian would find enough arguments to dismiss this essay in less than no time.

Mr Lynn shows also a great ignorance on common knowledge, as I believe everybody by now knows that Arabs' discoveries in the fields of astronomy and maths are still in use and have tremendously contributed to modern tecnological achievements. Moreover, I'd like to add, since I originate from Sardinia (I'm less clever than Venetians but I'm less stupid than Sicilians), that in my island, the greatest traditions, social customs and crafts that we boast come from the Nuragic and the Middle Eastern civilisations. A modest research would have been enough to know this.

What I find worrying, however, is that the University of Ulster (or any university in the world) is willing to promote such absurdities, in an era when Cesare Lombroso's theories are widely proved wrong and with no supporting evidence whatsoever. Moreover, I find degrading that an university encourages racist theories that are just an offence to human intelligence, meaning by human any human, be them blond, brown or redhair, with blue, brown or green eyes.

Dear Mr Lynn, everybody, sooner or later, has to face their own sunset boulevard. The choice is between accepting it with dignity or frantically trying to impress with desperate marketing moves. You are clearly facing yours, and apparently more like the hysterical Gloria Swanson in her memorable movie, than like a Sicilian farmer who enjoys his retirement between family and great food.

Sardinia's Mamuthones, dancing around fire

A while ago I wrote about Mamoiada's Mamuthones, mysterious masks that populate Sardinian carnival. Actually they weren't born as carnival masquerades but to reproduce a propitiatory ritual that is believed to date back 2,000 years.

Academics, historians and all types of researchers are trying to give an explanation to this myth, that still today is shrouded in mystery. Mamuthones are respected and feared figures that remind of Sardinian lost civilisation. They are dressed in black-sheep skin and wear a scary mask: the uglier, the better.

Along with the Mamuthones, also the Issohadores are part of the parade: they lead the Mamuthones and try to grab women with their rope (another ritual: women are the symbol of life).

The first time I saw them was in the occasion of last year's carnival, and I liked it so much that this year I went back for the festival of Sant'Antonio Abbate (Saint Anthony Abbate). According to the Mamuthones themselves, Sant'Antonio Abbate is a much more important and proper occasion, "because the carnival is somehow "hybrid", and we end up mixing with the other masks."

I have to say, seeing Mamuthones and Issohadores dancing around the fires was better than seeing them parading along other masks. The atmosphere was joyful, and children and adults alike were following the mysterious characters, projections of their past, their traditions and their ancestors.

I had booked a room at a guesthouse named "Perda Pintà" (Painted Stone) in honour of a massive stone dating back at least 5,000 years, even prior to the prehistoric civilisation that in Sardinia is known as "nuragica". The stone was found by the owners some ten years ago and Mamoiada's council decided it was best they would keep the stone where they found it, to maintain its original location, but they would have to allow tourists in. In fact, their garden is always open for visitors.

The rooms of the Perda Pintà guesthouse are exquisitely cosy and the cleanest place I've ever been to. Should a guest suffer from insomnia, Maria Giovanna gives a solution: books are available to anyone in every room and hall. The morning continental breakfast comes with a choice of milk, coffee, tea and cakes made by Maria Giovanna herself.

I have shot a *very* rudimentary video (hey, I'm just starting and it's taken with an old little camera), to give you an idea of the ritual and the cheerful atmosphere the Mamuthones can provoke.

Sardinia's coasts safe for now

I'm glad that on my last post for 2009 I can write good news. Recently I have written a post about the risk of seeing the small beach where I grew up destroyed by the building of a huge wind power plant. We have learnt that the project has been stopped, I'm not sure whether we need to thank politicians' wisdom or the stubborness of the inhabitants, determined not to let this overcome by bad governance.

Whatever the reason is, local as well as national politicians were pushed to find a solution in order to stop the ruthless installment of wind turbines all along Sardinian western and southern coasts.

Instead of providing clean energy, this complex of wind power plants would only have caused further pollution and a dangerous impact on the environment on an untouched bay in the island's west coast.

Apart from the negative environmental impact that such construction would have had on the small, pristine bays they were aimed at, it turned out to be a cloudy issue.

The Anti-Mafia Parliament Commission is in fact investigating on the possibility of money laundering and mafia involvement. When I first heard of this wind power plants, it didn't seem quite right: the company's social capital was way too small to be able to carry out such project to the end, so the prospect seemed to be like the many wind turbines present in the island: developing companies have clained the public funds aimed at clean energy projects and then fled once they got the money, leaving still turbines that don't have other function but polluting and spoiling the landscape.

Italian Parliament is (in)famously mafia-run, so I admit I'm pleasantly surprised at the news that an investigation has been launched. For now S'Archittu and the whole Sinis peninsula are safe. Hopefully natives will continue to enjoy their land for long.

GiBì & DoppiaW: Italian creativity to boost social empathy

A contagious star, the star of peace

It was one of those afternoons devoted to writing and with no planned outings. When I got tired of staring at my computer screen, I went for a refreshing stroll.

I was dawdling about my little town with my camera, as usual, looking for nothing in particular. Christmas time, possible season decorations to capture. Although the simple festive ornament in Ghilarza is prerogative of the sole main street, I was drawn away from the town centre by a quirky green sign leading toward Piazza Torre Aragonese, named after a big Aragonese tower that dominates the little square.

On my left, just behind the tower, something caught my attention: the entrance to a comics. It took me a minute to understand I had ended up at an interactive exhibition for children.

Kids were meant to go during their morning classes, so in the afternoon the venue was empty and I had all curators around me willing to explain the meaning of their art.

Yes, because Gibì & DoppiaW need at least an introduction. Their author, Walter Kostner, was born in Ortisei, picturesque town surrounded by the overwhelming landscape of the Dolomites. Since 1978, he has been travelling all around the globe to meet children belonging to any ethnicity, religion and culture, with the goal to boost their creativity.

Facing problems together makes them less demanding

"Because the main problem of our times is that we've lost togetherness!" Told me Duccio, one of the curators.


Tell me about it.


Technology is a great thing, but modern society is driving people to live increasingly alone, less needy of each other and therefore less keen to establish relationships.


Paradoxically, now that I live in London, I feel weird when I come back home and I see what's like the life in small villages. Locals barely close their frontdoors, always wave at each other, when they shop if they don't have the change they'll pay some time later on, they know they'll find their car if they forget it open, and so on and so forth.


Of course in cities like London this is not possible (please don't leave your frontdoor open!), but socializing is generally more difficult, unless you're drunk.


So, Walter Kostner and his young team hit the road and work on boosting creative thinking through these comics strips that suggest an easier way to face reality.

A new religion?

The goal of this travelling exhibition, titled "Tesori Tra Noi" (Treasures among us) is to introduce an innovative learning method that gives paramount importance to personal creativity in order to reinvent the way people interact with each other.


The strips themselves, although aimed at children, are by not means easy and require a guide, who normally wears a colourful bow tie. I don't watch TV, so I've particularly appreciated the strip titled "A new religion", that implicitly suggests to go out and enjoy real life experiences.

A team of experts in the learning and artistic fields journeys throughout Europe to meet as many people as they can, in the hope to help children to relate and establish new ways of communication. I truly wish them the best of the achievements.



All strips are courtesy of interactive exhibition "Tesori Tra Noi".

Tracking the Knights Templar in Sardinia

I'm carrying out some in-depth research on Sardinia's stormy past and on the mysterious traces left by the Knights Templar. Until now, I knew they might have quickly travelled the island while guarding Christian pilgrims in their journey to and from Jerusalem, but now I'm discovering scenarios I wasn't certainly aware of.

Who said Sardinia's attractions are clustered in its coasts? The mainland reeks of ancestral spirit, primeval fears and needs, and thousand-year-old heritage sites belonging to Sardinian lost civilisation. Professor Ross Holloway has effectively observed "Sardinia's is a landscape frozen in time."

Recent studies have claimed that Sardinia can be the place that Greek philosopher Plato described when writing about the mysterious lost civilisation named Atlantis, and after a quick look at the island's tangled history, we can by all means think we still have much to discover.

I've always been fascinated by the history of Free Masonry, and researching it, I've often stumbled across the Templars. It's difficult to imagine monks that were warriors too, but those were dark times, the darkest memories the Catholic Church can hold.

Studying the passage of the Templars in Sardinia, I found many traces, mainly churches and hospitals (there was the Hospitalliers Order), and they all give evidence that these medieval knights quite liked this desolate Mediterranean land. Was it because of the benefits of its mild temperatures? Or because of its strategic position between the two worlds (East and West) and so crucial to their businesses?

What sparks my love for history is not just my will to find out where we come from, but to discover little by little that the findings don't belong just to the past, but they are everywhere in our lives. The flag, symbols of regional councils: they are connected with an untaught history and are part of our daily routine more than we expect.

Travel Calling's Best Kept Travel Secrets

I've been nominated by Carrie of My Several Worlds to contribute to Katie Erica's list of her best kept travel secrets listed in TripBase Blog. Along with the style, I will list my best kept travel secrets and will nominate five famous travel bloggers in the industry.

This is how Tripbase Blog Tag works:

Been somewhere amazing you’d never even heard of? You want to let your buddies in on the secret, right? Read on for my top travel gems!

What’s interesting about travel is that the places / hotels / restaurants that everyone agrees are fantastic, are often not so fantastic.

And even if they are, it can all be a bit predictable.

Now what’s really fun is when you find somewhere obscure that is truly out of this world.

You can’t believe your luck to have stumbled across this travel gem. How could you not have heard of this place before?

You want to shout it from the rooftops.

We have all been somewhere unusual or that for some reason struck a chord for us, so here are Travel Calling's best kept travel secrets.

STAY AT

Hostal El Santuario, Agua Calientes, Cuzco, Perù

View from Hostal El Santuario                                   Machu Picchu

If you are bound to find a five-star luxury mega residence, forget Hostal El Santuario. El Santuario doesn't offer luxurious facilities, but a modest and friendly service. However, its strenght, missed by most five-star hotels in the world, is a view that will undoubtedly take your breath away.

It lies at the very feet of world's wonder Machu Picchu and is dominated by the overwhelming mountain where you will find the ancient "ghost" town. Looking out the window first thing in the morning, you'll stare at the unforgettable scenery of the river Urubamba, before taking up the adventure that will make you step back in time.

3 reasons to stay at Hostal El Santuario:

- You will breath heady breeze as soon as you get up

- You will stare at a truly breathtaking view dominated by the wonders of the Machu Picchu

- It's cheap

VISIT

Nuraghe Losa, Abbasanta, Sardinia, Italy

Sardinia is dotted with nuraghes, stone-made castles dating back thousands years. They were used as habitations, fortresses against foreign attacks or ancient tombs.  

Nuraghe Losa, in the heart of Sardinia, was built roughly during the Bronze Age and archaeologists are still bringing up the remains of the whole area: the nuraghe is in fact only one piece of a prehistoric village and was very likely a built-up area with the burial complex attached. A visit to Nuraghe Losa is a proper walk through the twilight of European civilisation.

3 reasons to go to Nuraghe Losa
- You will track the cradle of Western civilisation
- It's surrounded by pristine countryside
- You'll be immersed in history and culture

EAT

Dans Le Noir? London, UK

Photo Ewan-M's

Nice area in London, Clerkenwell Green, but this won't be the thing you will remember after eating at Dans le Noir?, nor will be the food. 

Costumers of this restaurant will have the opportunity to enjoy good food and drinks better than in any other restaurants. Why? Because they will only use the senses of taste and smell: the hall is completely dark, waiters are blind and they will be your guides through this unique experience.

3 reasons to go to Dans Le Noir?
- You will be able to re-discover your senses of smell and taste
- You will be guided towards a unique experience
- The food is great

The final list of Top Bloggers’ Best Kept Travel Secrets, which will be shared as a special post on TripBase Blog.

I nominate these five bloggers to share three of their best kept travel secrets on their blog. 

• Shawn, ClearlyEnlight's Travel Blog
• Alan, The 9 to 5 Alternative
• Nellie, Wild Junket
• Anja, Ever The Nomad
• Melody, Journeys Near And Far
  

Guest post at Casa Dolcetto!

I've written recently a guest post for Casa Dolcetto, A View of S'Archittu, about a tiny seaside resort in Sardinia, with rather fluctuating tourism moments.

I've been hanging out in S'Archittu since I was 7 and two are the main differences I can spot: I used to get much more tanned (not really S'Archittu's fault, but this somehow annoys me) and tourism was thriving definitely more than it is today.

Until this year. Last July and August were the busiest months I can remember since I was a child, bars and restaurants were happy bunnies and I could barely sleep due to the noise all night long.

Never mind, I'm glad S'Archittu is coming back to life. Although, selfishly speaking, I enjoyed the almost empty beach.

Hope you enjoy my post at Casa Dolcetto!

The night of the dead

All over the world, these days are devoted to the dead, and different places remember them in different ways.

In the United States, as well as in the UK, it's Halloween, with plentiful witch-like costumes and parties. Some if Italian biggest cities like to celebrate Halloween in a proper US way, but in Sardinia something very different happens in the night between the 1st and the 2nd of November.

My mother has always told me that since her very first memories she remembers her mother preparing the dinner for the dead, who would come during the night and eat it. Every year, the scenario sees my grandmother preparing tomato-sauce spaghetti, a bit more than usual as some is for the family, some for the dead. After their own dinner, my grandmother would leave a bowl with the rest of the spaghetti, a bottle of red wine and the table set for a proper meal, strictly in odd number.

When my grandfather was alive, he would get up and eat the rest of the spaghetti when the children were already in bed, so that the morning after everything was gone. Now, the spaghetti stay there until next morning and are eaten for lunch.

This tradition is very felt in Sedilo, to the extent that when my grandparents migrated to France, they kept doing it every 1st of November.

However, not everywhere in the island this tradition is either followed, nor desirable. On that night adults would tell mystery stories to children, and in the area there is plenty of options as Sardinian people have kept myths, traditions and mysteries of their ancestors. Just, when I was a child these stories have given me shivers more than once, while now, I'm a big girl, "brave" and not a very easy believer.

Of course my grandmother kept telling stories, for the generations of cousins, nephews and nieces that followed mine. I like listening to them, more to remember my childhood than to get scare. Until last night.

I was at my grandma's with some other family members and we were talking about past family history, without forgetting to mention the dead, of course, in line with the general mood. From here to the 1st November traditions the gap was quickly filled: while in Sedilo they remember their dead by leaving them a ready meal, in Nuoro's province they just bring them flowers. Nothing spooky so far.

So yesterday they told me about a lady, from Nuoro's province, who didn't know about this tradition of leaving the dinner ready all night but, once heard of it, was fascinated by it. To the extent that she wanted to try it: so she prepared dinner, ate some herself before going to bed and then left the table set all night: she was found dead the morning after. The very first time she prepared dinner for her dead (of which she ate some herself, according to tradition), was also the very last time she prepared dinner at all, making it become a proper meal for the dead.

In Sardinia, inexplicable events have always taken place, and throughout the centuries the mysterious element has played an important role in the local society. When you hear black-dressed old ladies whisper, very likely the reason is that they are talking about something paranormal (or gossip, very likely, too, not really paranormal but equally saucy). 

Getting closer to the local society and its traditions might turn out more amusing than expected, so if you like the topic feel free to ask your Sardinian friends to tell you about some quirky fact: you'll certainly find willing story-tellers, and every time some further detail to the story is added.

Savage building on Sardinian coasts

Savage building on Sardinian coasts doesn't seem to come to an end: after the project of building wind power plants in S'Archittu, despite there are many other more suitable areas and this would destroy the summer tourism, let alone the marine fauna locals are trying to reproduce, and let alone the fact that this will inevitably spoil the view and destroy thousand-year-old arch formed throughout the centuries between the sea and the coast, this is not the only area in the island affected by unrestrained building.

Although current President Cappellacci's main message during the electoral campaign was to protect the pristine coasts from savage builders always in the lookout for new untouched spaces, it seems like this is not going to happen: the regional council has approved a new law making it possible to build 300 mt away from the sea.

For Sardinians this sadly sounds like a déjà-vu: the Emerald Coast is not Sardinia anymore, belonging once to Prince Aga Khan and now to a not-better identified US company is mainly private beaches, villas and 5-star hotels where CEOs and presidents (and their escorts) come to spend their holidays. Truth be told, the Emerald Coast is beautiful, but Sardinia has many other equally or more stunning sceneries, so the population turned a blind eye and sucked that up: "Never mind, we'll go elsewhere."

Then, from the Emerald Coast, the building wave kept spreading, northward, southward, and now on the west coast. Is unrestrained building the only problem in Sardinia? Apparently not: NATO bases are carrying out poisonous experiments, DU-based. I come from London to breath some clean air and I find this situation: now it's a bit of too much.

How to destroy a paradise. And the dream of it

If you want to visit this corner of paradise, hurry up: it's about to be destroyed by the latest plan of a foreign energy corporation.

There is a not-better-identified company, seemingly from Montecarlo but with strong bonds in Luxembourg, that has secretely applied for the permission to build a huge wind power plant all over Sardinian western coast. If approved, it will frustrate the beautiful landscapes of Is Arenas, Torre del Pozzo, S'Archittu, Santa Caterina di Pittinuri.

For the first time in Italian political history (well, after the Constitution of 1948), all parties agree in fighting this plan and the President of the Region, Ugo Cappellacci, is said he will not grant such permission. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to be as easy: at a national level, our legislator has just made a new law that deprives regional politicians of any power on renewable energy matters. What a coincidence.

Are Sardinian people against renewable energy? Absolutely not: the island is full of allowed areas where it's possible to build wind and solar power plants.

Locals have been demonstrating and fighting with every legal means at their disposal, will it be enough? 
I can't believe there is the chance I won't be able to spend my ritual week a year stretched out on my favourite beach, anymore.

"S'Ardia" on foot, less dangerous more painful

My latest travel article for MatadorNights is about S'Ardia, a religious festival where the most important moment is a reckless horse race. In Sardinia dangerous horse races seem to have been always very trendy since in many villages they are the main attractions.

In Sedilo, where the real Ardia takes place, two weeks later horse-riders and common village-people engage in the same race with only an apparently little difference: the hostile path is faced on foot.

The "Ardia a piedi" (Ardia on foot) starts at 6am, and it couldn't be a minute later in Sardinian July, when burning temperatures start hitting at 6,30am. The scheme is exactly the same as when it's run with horses, just a bit slower, especially when uphill.

The day after the run, all townspeople exchange comments on their own Ardia and the competition becomes over who can boast more pain and wounds, caused by falls or the leaders' escorts who certainly don't spare baton blows to the bravest who try to overcome St. Constantine and his generals.  

I have run this race on foot a couple of times, and this gave me the opportunity to boast some injuries for having tried to arrive to the little sanctuary before the Saint and, mostly importantly, to hear my grandfather say: "Seeing all this youth running for St. Constantine just opens my heart."

Italy and women's body

Italy is home to beautiful peintures and sculptures, countless scientific discoveries came out from Italian minds, the creativity of Italian people is renowned and museums all over the world are studded with Italian masterpieces. So what’s happening to the Belpaese cultural scene?

I’ve been living outside Italy for four years now, in London for two, I’ve travelled throughout Europe and South America and, although I deem other societies by no means faultless, I have never found in any country such a poor mainstream culture.

Without going as far as Michelangelo’s times, only watching tv shows broadcast in the ‘60s in the Italian tv, it’s possible to appreciate the difference between then and now. Today’s shows are embarrassing: dancers can’t dance, singers are mediocre, shows are not challenging or educative, anchormen (and women) only work if surrounded by semi-naked young girls who, by accepting to be humiliated the way they are, show zero self-esteem.

One of the most astonishing aspects of today’s Italian culture is that a talented person must be physically attractive, otherwise they have no chance to emerge and carry on with the future they have studied for. Yes, studied, because unfortunately this principle seems to apply to tv shows as well as the Parliament, recently become house of any sort of showgirl.

This, far from ensuring high quality programmes, is undermining Italian cultural vivacity and society, and is aimed at causing general mental laziness. This video introduces very well the topic of how women’s body is used to attract audience.

I don’t want to give the wrong impression that this is Italy today: this is mainstream, national media in Italy today. I have lived in Rome for seven years and, while the tv (public and private) was already leading towards the current widespread ignorance, all throughout the city there were many exhibitions, independent theatre pieces, challenging open-air shows and concerts going on.

The main difference with national tv is that these kinds of artistic expressions require mental vivacity, active participation, going out and socialising, using all senses instead of passively staring at the nothing the tv gives us today.

Some shots from heaven

S'Archittu, Sardinia.

Sedilo, faith, life and death

Is it still possible to die for faith? Yes it is. But is it still accepted? It seems so.

In Sedilo, tiny hamlet in central Sardinia, every year a dangerous horse race takes place. In the video is only the start, I've seen this run all my life and is still gives me the willies.

Is it the recklessness? I don't know, maybe. But this year one of the horse-riders fell off the horse and died. The route is truly dangerous, full of pitfalls, with very narrow bits, especially when it approaches the arch, where seven years ago another rider died bumping into it at high speed.

After that accident, the vault was widened and padded. This year, arguments on enhanced security measures are still raging. Helmets, changes in the route, any sort of further rule was suggested, and riders don't even want to talk about it.

"We know what we face, we are trained and prepared to the dangers," it's the most common answer riders give, men and women alike. Every year the leader of the run changes, and to be chosen by the parish, the name needs to be registered in an old register. They wait for a lifetime, since when their parents put their name on it, knowing that one day it will be an honour for their sons to be Sa Prima Pandela.

Is it faith? Most likely, among the riders will be also some non-religious, but for St Constantine can made an exception. Love for horses (Sedilo's riders are among the best in Sardinia), faith, passion and tradition are the ingredients for this feast day that has become the soul of this village and its inhabitants.

Being half from Sedilo, I know there is no law capable to stop this race, nor the riders will wear any helmet. They don't run for show, they don't run for money, every year there is at least an accident, more or less serious and they will keep running, with or without tourists. Sedilo's townspeople will be there, no doubt about it, some praying, some laughing, everybody hoping the race will end with all riders safe on top of their horses at the sanctuary, where they are awaited and will be feted.

And if someone won't make it, there will be the solidarity of the community, and the following year everything will take place exactly like the previous one.

This is the way it, like it or not.