Last week, I asked a question on My Sardinian Life’s Facebook Page about what you would like to see more of on my blog, and a few of you answered with topics I haven’t yet covered here. So, here goes a random post on tips, things to see and do and how to stay away from the crowds. Continue reading
Cortes Apertas is an open house, held yearly in several towns and cities in the deep, vast tremendous centre of Sardinia – Barbagia. It is a colourful festival run by the locals of each town; they open their doors to the wonders of their beautiful, simple life, far away from wi-fi and reality tv. They show you how to make long pasta and pasta with your thumb and they ask if you’d like to take part, to try the ancient traditions that have been hidden away and kept secret for so many decades, all the while filling your cup with homemade wine, liqueur, and beer. Continue reading
From early September to the beginning of December small towns throughout the Barbagia region of Sardinia open their doors for tourists and locals alike. It’s a refreshing time to wander ancient alleys and discover a Sardinia from hundreds of years ago while sampling the local flavours of wine, beer, bread, sweets, suckling pig, wild boar gnocchi and so much more! Here are just a few of the warm, generous people we met during our adventure to Oliena for Cortes Apertas – Autunno in Barbagia 2016.
It is here at the foot of the Supramonte mountain where you can immerse yourself in a world of historical flavours, ancient traditions, and spectacular panoramic views of neighbouring towns and mountain ranges so vast, wild and spectacular that it leaves your mind and soul spinning.
A huge thank-you to the people of Oliena, who put on a spectacular event, who opened their hearts, homes and traditions to the world and who collectively put a smile on thousands of people’s faces, including mine. The memories will last a lifetime. Grazie mille.
Have you gone to any Cortes Apertas – Autunno in Barbagia? Tell me about it in the comments below.
The mystical Mamuthones from Mamoiada have always stirred my soul and made me question the origin of their existence. I have attended festivals in Sassari and Olbia where the Mamuthones preformed before the inquisitive public, but I had never witnessed their ritual dance in their town, on their turf, until this past Sunday when I attended Tappas in Mamujada. There is something so raw and connected to nature in their dance that pulls me in, curious, wanting to know more. So I went searching …
Mural in Mamoiada
The Mamuthone legacy is shrouded in secrecy Continue reading
The hazelnut is just one of the many natural resources that flourish on the farms of Barbagia, in the heart of Sardinia. Every fall, locals busy themselves with the cultivation of the hazel tree, later turning their hazelnuts into delicious honey and creams. There are even entire festivals dedicated to the nuts of Sardinia!
This is my response to the weekly travel theme: brown.
Do you like the colour brown? I detest it but I love hazelnuts.
I caught the bus early Saturday morning to meet up with a friend in Sassari. We filled the car with an expensive tank of gas and headed south down SS131 towards the elusive province of Barbagia in the heart of Sardinia. We headed to an ‘open-house’ in the ancient neighbourhood of Toneri, Tonara in the province of Nuoro.
It is here, in the heart of Sardinia, where you can immerse yourself in a world of historical flavours, ancient traditions, narrow alleyways and spectacular views of the surrounding mountains. It’s also here where they make the world-famous torrone but I’m saving that juicy, delicious bit for another post.
My Sardinian Life 