Italy | 5 Days Road Tripping in Sardinia

With a unique blend of Spanish and Italian heritage, Sardinia is its own. It's the perfect balance of ancient cities and a rural escape. Its beautiful beaches, wineries and storied Mediterranean port towns provide for an Italian getaway. But, its Sardinia's informality that brings you closer to its culture.

I was already in Europe for another trip with friends and had an extra 5 days to round out the vacation. I chose Sardinia. Five days is about right unless you want to get lost on the beach for longer. It's easy to get around by car, offers everything from glitzy Mediterranean yacht port town to rural accommodations to wineries and outstanding food to old cities. It was a perfect destination for balancing the need to explore with the need to relax.

Day 1 | Arzachena

I arrived at the very small airport in Oblia and just a few meters off the airport I jumped in my car and was off in minutes. What a novelty! I chose to stay my first few nights in the northeast interior in Arzachena. I'd found a beautiful hotel and made it my base for exploring the region. 

In less than an hour I was at the Tenuta Pilastru hotel and easily checked in. For lunch I drove just down the road to Il Vecchio Mulino, a small restaurant with gorgeous views of the valley. I was told the gnocchi is the house specialty and enjoyed with local wine. In the afternoon I came back to enjoy the on-property spa and pool. A stay includes access to the day spa facilities including an indoor pool with all kinds of fun water spraying "areas" (showers, jets and more), a jacuzzi, ice-cold shower and hot and cold saunas. The pool is simple and a pool bar accommodates all food and drink requests during the day.

In the evening I ate at the on-property restaurant which is known in the area for regional cuisine and fresh ingredients from their and other local farms. It was outstanding, nothing hotel-restaurant about it. I had met some other guests at the spa and we enjoyed our meal family style, sampling local meats and cheeses and the suckling pig which is the restaurant's specialty.

Day 2 | Porto Cervo & Sardinian Wine Country

In the morning I drove off to explore Porto Cervo. It's one of a few small towns on the northeastern coastline that draw the yacht crowd from around the Mediterranean. It was as expected, essentially a new outdoor mall style of stucco stores and walking paths, similar to a Saint Tropez but without an original town to ground it. People were wandering around the "mall" and there were some restaurants set to extort views of the beautiful marina. It was worth seeing but I was glad I chose to stay elsewhere.

In the afternoon I drove back into the interior and stopped at one of the area's more well known wineries, Vigne Surrau. I recommend calling in advance for a tasting so you can sample your wines out on the patio while enjoying a spread of local meets and cheeses. They're known for their Sincaru wines and I happily walked away with a few bottles to take home at what would be considered a steal by California wine price standards.

In the evening I had dinner at Jaddhu, another restaurant known for regional Sardinian cuisine. The prawns and seafood pasta were both outstanding.

Day 3 | Alghero

After breakfast I set off for Alghero, a few hours drive east. On the way I stopped in the small port town of Porto Torres and had lunch at Spiaggia di Scoglio. I had a wonderful seafood pasta overlooking the water and then sat for a bit on the beach in town.

In the afternoon I arrive at Hotel Angedras, a 10 minute walk to the city center. I opted for this hotel because it was clean, simple and included parking and had a nice included breakfast on their roof patio with views of the city and bay. Parking in the city center was certainly not an option.

In the afternoon I walked through the old town. I explored the narrow streets, stopped in at the shops, listened to music in the plazas, walked along the city wall along the water and had dinner at Al Tuguri. The restaurant is charming. It's small and the servers are very attentive. The food was amazing and I absolutely recommend.

Days 4 - 5 | Cagliari

For my final stop I drove into Cagliari. I dropped the car off at the airport before catching a taxi to my hotel in the city center. I stayed at a small inn called The Place Cagliari conveniently located a few blocks from the main city center but a few blocks away from the late night and early morning city noise. For two days I wandered the city's brightly colored streets. I walked through the city's citadel Il Castello and Bastione di Saint Remy for views over the city into the bay, the Chiesa di S. Eulalia church, the city's Botanical Gardens, the waterfront Piazza Matteotti, the Castello di San Michele and the Cattedrale di Santa Maria Assunta e Santa Cecilia. I sipped espressos at little cafes throughout the city and walked around the marina and beaches. I walked through the narrow streets in the old town. Though crowded, I loved walking along Spiaggia del Poetto, the main beach in town.

One of my favorite moments was overlooking the city and listening to one of the musicians in the Piazza Costituzione sing Hallelujah as it echoed throughout the piazza. Another was stumbling upon couples dancing the tarantella one evening in a plaza outside the Post Office.

A memorable meal was at Antica Cagliari in the old town. I had fantastic seafood pasta and excellent wine. Another night I went to Sardinia's only Michelin star restaurant, Dal Corsaro and enjoyed the tasting menu. Though 7 courses were listed, it ended up being 10 with all the little extras they threw in. The amuse bouche alone was four small bites and the suckling pig was a stand out.