It was a Sunday lovely Sunday that I won’t soon forget. We are on the grooms side of the family and keeping with the traditions, all friends and family of the groom gather at his house to begin the morning festivities. The morning started out just right with a mixture of prosecco and peach juice and traditional Sardinian sweets.
Sunday Lovely Sunday | A Traditional Sardinian Wedding
It was an overcast afternoon when I decided to check my all-time views by country. Addicted to watching my stats climb … and fall but I rarely check out the country views.
Surprised to see that 17,764 Americans had checked into My Sardinian Life – what y’all searching for? One of the most searched for phrase on My Sardinian Life is ‘system error.’ Is it possible that 17,764 of you found this? Pretty awesome, eh? Thanks America, you rock!
The Madonna statue of Trinita D’Agultu and Vignola sits 365 meters above sea level. She protects her surrounding area and its 2184 inhabitants.
Trinita D’Agultu and Vignola is in the north-western part of Sardinia and compromises about 136.6km of the beautiful coastline. The inhabitants have conserved the local dialect – Gallurese and ancient traditions for centuries.
The 1/2 km walk up the steep incline is not for the faint of heart; but once at the top of this 365m mountain the views are out of this world.
Trinita D’Agultu
Isola Rossa & La Marinedda in the distance.
When the weather permits, I like to climb up the mountain and spend a few hours reading my book or just staring out blissfully at the blue sea.
Have you climbed the mountain to visit the Madonna?
Two and a half months ago.
Genoveva bumped into him in the lunch line; he laughed a curious laughter as she introduced herself. “Mi scusi … Salve, mi chiamo Genoveva.” She held out her hand as a peace-offering. “Ciao. Mi chiamo Andrea. Cosa stai facendo in albergo?” He pumped her hand with such force that she thought her heart might stop. “Sono una cameriera nel ristorante a buffet e tu?” They moved slowly down the lunch line together. Today’s special: Baked fish, roast potatoes, traditional Sardinian gnocchi, sautéed eggplants drizzled in the finest olive oil and seadas. “Sono responsabile della sicurezza, qui da sei anni. Di dove sei? Non sembri molto italiana.”
It was true; Genoveva is not Italian. Even with her slight name change she can’t fool anyone “Sono di Canada. Il mio marito è sardo. Sono qui da quasi cinque anni. Sei Sardo?” She didn’t think he was from Sardinia; his bombshell blonde locks gave him away but his accent was so Sardinian. “So you are American! Right on, we can speak English then. I miss speaking English. My father was born in the south of Sardinia and my mother is from Poland. Sardinia has been my home for the last twenty years. Why are you here, in Sardinia?” She silently punched him square between the eyes and said “I’m from Canada, not America.”
His next response surprised her that she almost choked on a piece of gnocchi. “You’re from North America. It’s the same thing as America. Therefore you are American.”
He was right in an odd strange way, but what he failed to realize was that within that one continent are twenty-three very different countries. “No, I’m from Canada. I hold a Canadian passport. I say EH and I had a polar bear as a pet when I was a kid.” Her natural sarcasm had taken hold of her. She could see him pondering the idea of twenty-three countries within one continent, smoke coming out of his ears. “So, you lived in an igloo too? I’ve always wanted to live in an igloo.” Genoveva has never in her Canadian life seen an igloo; with the exception of the travel documentaries she used to watch. She did try to build one when she was eight years old but her polar bear sat on it. “Yes, I lived in an igloo. It’s like, so really cool.” She picked up her lunch tray and bid Andrea adieu and she hoped to never see him again.
Three days later
“Hey, America! How’s it going?” Agitation gripped her as she invisibly kicked him between the legs. “Ciao Andrea. I’m from Canada; remember the igloos and polar bears? We spoke about this just three days ago.” This was one time Genoveva wished she had a super cell phone because if she did, she would open an app and show Andrea the international border line dividing Canada and America. “Oh come on, Miss. America, it’s the same thing.” In her mind’s eye she dropkicked him so hard his Polish head split open on the reception floor; instead she said “I’m late for work. Ciao.” She ran into the restaurant and hoped again to never, ever see his ignorant face.
Today
Genoveva wanted to buy a small token of appreciation for her hairdresser and walked into the local flower shop. “Ciao Anna, come stai?”
“Sto bene, grazie. Cosa vuoi oggi. I’m good, thank you. What do you want today?”
“I would like a small bouquet, as a gift for a friend.”
Genoveva picked out a beautiful long stem bamboo shoot, a sunflower and some beautiful white flowers. Anna wrapped them nicely in colourful paper when Genoveva heard a familiar voice; her skin crawled.
“Hey – Genoveva! How’s it going? The hotel season is finally over; I haven’t seen you around the hotel in the last few months, what happened? I can’t wait to get back to the south of the island. When are you going back to America?” His blonde moments outshone everything about him. “I’m from Canada and I live here in Sardinia. Five years now.” Anna the wonderful local floral lady piped in “Si. Genoveva is from Canada but she’s one of us now.”
Defeated, his smile turned down and his face turned sour; he looked at this worn Adidas and said … nothing. He had memory flashbacks of their conversation in the lunch line: twenty-three countries, one continent – America. The local Sardinian woman defeated Andrea with a simple, honest statement about Genoveva fitting in. Finally.
**If you liked this story, try these:
Canadian Waitress in Italy | Embarrassing Moments
Notes from 1997 | Toronto to Bondi Beach, Australia
I’m busy playing tour guide with visiting friends from the mainland. This afternoon we hit the beach, and what a wonderful beach it is. We hiked 250 meters down a mountain to reach this stunning stretch of coast. This secret beach is accessible by foot or boat; I like to call it Bedrock Beach.
What did you do this fabulous Monday?
So, you want to live the dolce vita in a small town in Sardinia? Eat handcrafted gelato in the middle of an August heat-wave and sail away on the Mediterranean Sea forgetting reality exists?
Sounds pretty awesome, right?
La dolce vita or the sweet life has a very colourful, sour inside. In this post I will step out of my comfort zone, to show to you – the endless Italian dreamer the sour side to paradise.
There are no beautiful photos of pristine perfect beaches or snow-capped mountains or even ancient alleys that lead to paradise. No, this post is raw facts about living and working in a small town in Sardinia, Italy.
This gallery contains 9 photos.
Another fantastic theme this week: Urban. Seeing as I don’t live anywhere near an urban center, I had to dig deep into my photographic archives to find a suitable photo(s). Urban Amsterdam Urban Copacabana Urban Fira Urban Bern Urban Verona … Continue reading
Sassari – a sprawling city on the northwest coast of Sardinia, population 130,000. Sassari is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Sardinia. Sassari is a city rich in art, history and culture and the economy relies heavily on tourism.
Duomo di Sassari – San Nicola
During the day, in the summer months, these steps are filled with tourists, locals and young children enjoying a refreshing gelato. But at night, when the tourists, locals and children are in bed is when this duomo comes to life.
It’s my favourite time of week, Monday Market Day! It’s where I load up on local fruit, vegetables, cheese, rice and local salami. I’ve been going to the same vendors for years; we joke, exchange recipes, and banter on about the usual, weather. It’s a wonderful experience and I enjoy speaking with the local people, they have taught me so much about their culture, land and traditions, all I have to do is buy their fruit. It’s an intellectual exchange of homemade goodness.
One of the world’s largest, super-mega yachts, Le Grand Bleu was seen floating off the north-west coast of Sardinia, Italy on August 12, 2012.
She’s big, she’s beautiful and she is estimated to be worth $85-$90 million! I was there to capture her in all her splendid, expensive glory. I couldn’t help but stare at this beautiful beast silently floating in the Bay of Asinara (Donkey Bay) for the entire three hours we were at the beach.
Le Grand Bleu is a 370-foot mega yacht, launched in 2000 and originally owned by American business person John McCaw Jr.
In 2002 the McCaw family sold Le Grand Bleu to Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich. Roman had le grand bleu lengthened (yes lengthened! cause you know 370-feet is just too small) and refitted with a 16-foot swim platform! Snap!
There is very little known on the interior of the yacht for privacy reasons. However, what we do know is this: a 74-foot sailboat AND a 67-foot speed boat are stored on deck, for emergencies, of course. As well as a personal helicopter, for those shopping trips to Costa Smeralda. Le Grand Bleu has a crew of 50.
Click here to read my post from July 29th’s sighting of Le Grand Bleu.
What method of transportation do you take to work?
My Sardinian Life 