Sardinia Wine & Culture Tour
Our first Sardinia Wine & Culture tour ran from October 5 -13, 2018. It was our first collaboration with Hellam’s Vineyard. We began the tour from the town of Cagliari and had a tour, tasting and lunch at Argiolas Winery after which we continued to the Town of Sardara where we stayed at the Thermal spa. The next day was a tour, and lunch in Mogoro and an exploration of an ancient Nuraghe near Mogoro. The Nuraghi are bronze age structures built all over the island. Our drivers Stefano and Gigi where a wealth of information about the area around Mogoro and helped us understand the significance of the Nuraghi settlements. After dinner in the town of Sardara we returned to the spa where some of us took a moonlight swim in the thermal waters.
The next day found us at Su Nuraxi di Barumini, the largest and most intact of the Nuraghi. Then we went with our guide Roberto to see the wild horses of the Parco della Giara. The park is located at one of the highest points on the south end of the island and from which one can see almost a quarter of the island landscape below. There are approximately only 600 wild horses left on Sardinia who might have been brought to the island by the Phoenicians. We then went down to the town of Tuili and watched a local dance troupe show us traditional Sardinian folk dances and we tried to learn them as well. Some of us were more successful than others!
The next day we visited a Textile cooperative that weaves traditional as well as modern patterns into rugs, table linens and wall art. There are 7 women in all and when they are gone the art goes with them unfortunately because there are no young women interested in learning the old handicraft in this time of mass production. It makes us sad but we make it a point to visit places such as this before they are gone and lend any economic help we can. We also stop in the charming town of Bosa for a stroll before lunch on our way up to Alghero where our next accommodation awaits.
In Alghero we visit an olive oil producer and have a day sailing off the Coral coast. Alghero is famous for it’s coral. We also take a trip to Castelsardo that was a seat of the Doria family at one time. There we have a fantastic fish lunch and some great wine before heading back to Alghero where we depart for the airport in Olbia and home. We were again blessed with an amazing group of folks who made the trip a success. Thanks to Bob, Marsha, Gail, Sheila, Jocelyn, Ryan, Valerie, Scott, Michelle, Jeff and Jeff Hellam.