France 2022 – Part 5

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• Tue 1st Feb
  Drove to Giants grave Ena’e Thombe outside Durgali on a warm sunny, and wind less day. Another nuragic era site (never encountered a nuragic era before), dated during the Bronze Age, very similar to the one visited a few days ago. There are loads of them dotted round Sardinia, strange there do not seem to be in prehistoric sites on Corsica, which is visible fron northern Sardinia, or did we miss them….
  

  

  The long grave behind the carved stone is still mostly roofed with stone.
  

• Two more views……
  
  

  A view of the long grave.
  To get to the tomb, we had a short but very enjoyable walk through a typical Sardinian landscape. The route was amply way marked by arrows.
  

  The problem of only having campsites, closed at this time of the year, needs some creative action, and a certain amount of luck to overcome. Yesterday, we initially went to a Sosta Camping (basically an Aire, enclosed area, hard standing with services), which was probably open. The notice on the barrier gave us a phone number to have the barrier opened, but we failed to master the Italian phone system. However, I was able to bypass the barrier with the toilet cassette and use the toilet drain, so that will be OK for a few days, and this afternoon, we drove into Nuoro, and saw a sign for a Crai supermarket, which showed a picture of a motorhome service point. With some difficulty, we found the supermarket, but no M/H facilities. We were in a tight spot at the entrance to their covered car park (too low for us), but I spied a tap…….quick grab of hose, and fresh water full!

• Wed 2nd Feb

  Saint Sabina Nuraghe, Silanos. A small church, 11thC, next to a Nuraghe, thousands of years older.
  The site….
  

  There are a lot of these old churches, left untouched for centuries, and some, like this one, are being restored. There used to be a “Giants grave”, of the sort we saw yesterday and earlier, but archaeologists found the stones were re used in building the church. No Victorians here to do a makeover!
  Inside the church
  

  In the Nuraghe, it was possible in this one to ascend the stairs between the inner and outer walls, so, of course, I did.
  The view from the top looking down the stairs.
  

• Thence to the Church of the Virgine dei Martiri, Fonni
  Doesn’t look much from the outside.
  

  But inside…
  

  Needless to say, photos not allowed…..although somehow we have another….
  

• Thu 3rd Feb
  Went to see a church in Olzai. The church….
  

  Very firmly locked shut. Something Britain is good at, France and Italy ain’t, is putting up opening hours, and whether opening at all. Very difficult if something is remotely worth visiting. Still, probably did us good toiling up a very steep hill.
  Continued our journey south, through steep ravines and gorges, a winding and spectacular road. Not as dramatic as Corsica, probably because the vegetation is more lush. The roads are very slow, because of steep hills/drops, and hairpin bends. And, being Italy, the roads are wider, and a great deal more crash barriers than anywhere else. This is something I remember from our trip to Italy around ten years ago – the crash barriers.
  Now parked up near a man made lake (Lake Basso die Flumendosa.). I’m sure you are all pleased to know that…..

• Fri 4th Feb

  Currently experiencing a pleasing feeling of instability. My 75th birthday, I hope the next 25 years are as much fun as the last 25. Went for a meal in Cagliari, started badly, sussed out a nice looking restaurant, according to Mr Google, opened at 7.00 pm. The bloke in there was suffering from multiple word defect, could only say “closed”, although at some unknown time would open, judging by the laid tables, menu boards, and open door. Decided we were too early, found a bar for a glass of wine, came with a tray of goodies to eat.
  Went to another restaurant, who said they were fully booked, and couldn’t serve on the tables outside. So, went to another restaurant, very welcoming, ushered us inside, dog and all, and gave us an interesting meal, with a Sardinian pud, a pastry thingy with cheese and honey.
  On the weave home, found a zebra crossing across the eleven lane highway that led nowhere. A fitting end to the day climbing over barriers with cars seemingly coming from all directions.
  Returned to M/H and found a large illuminated trailer, complete with generator, parked next to us, selling, as far as I can make out, bottled water and tomatoes, although something is cooking. Odd, and becoming noisy. Maybe I need another glass of vino….

  Very cold overnight, a sharp frost in the morning. Drove to Orroli, and the Nuraghe Arrubiu, by far the biggest Nuraghe we have seen. A central conical tower, surrounded by five other towers. A huge quantity of stone to be hewn and moved!

  

  

  

  Inside the central tower, stones very carefully aligned.

• Sat 5th Feb
  Spent the night adjacent to the marina at Cagliari, at a cost of €5.00. Meant we were able to walk round town, and had an (unmemorable) meal last night, but it was horrendously noisy. Neither of us had a good nights sleep, not sure about Beckie though.
  After an abortive walk to a church with some interesting artefacts (We arrived at 9.40, found a two hour service started at 9.30), went to Nora, originally a Phoenician settlement, but almost completely built over by the romans, from around 2nd century BC, to the end of the western Roman Empire.
  

  The theatre.
  

• Sun 6th Feb
  After overnighting in a car park view point, surrounded by an abandoned development we could not work out, drove to Villaperuccio, and the Domus de Janas at Montessori, tombs cut into a steep rocky cliff around 3,000 BC. Around 50 of them at Montessori.
  Getting to them was hard work, very steep on uneven rocky ground….this is one section of the path…..
  

  The tombs were amazing, cut into solid rock, some with geometric patterns.
  

  Nothing ever comes out very well on a photo…
  

• Domus de Janus cont’d
  

  Beckie was surprisingly interested in the tombs, although she failed to find any cats.

  

• Later..
  Drove to Santa Giusta, just south of Oristana, and a “Sosta Camper”, for the night. Turned out to be a “Sosta Camper Chiuso”. Again. Fortunately, plenty of open ground, and we were able to park up for the night just round the corner.
  Turns out Santa Giusta has an interesting cathedral, built largely from reused Roman stonework. Roman columns (all different) and Romanesque arches.Early 12th century, although, of course, many alterations since. It was very dark inside!
  
• Mon 7th Feb
  Drove to Oristano – Sue needs a good internet connection, as she has a Zoom meeting. There is a M/H parking place in Oristano, but too noisy to spend the night.
  During her meeting, I walked around “Centro Historical” – not the most interesting city we have been to. Went into the Archaeological Museum, turned out to be rather small. Mostly on display we’re artefacts from the nearby Roman city of Thorros. Lots and lots of pots, oil lamps, amphorae. I think they had put all they have found on display. But, the most striking displays were bronze stick men and women, around 12” tall, many carrying tridents and other objects, some with multiple legs. Reading the rather confusing information panels, seemed to come from the Nuraghe period…….but then doubts set in, and I consulted the girl on the ticket desk, her English was good enough to confirm that they were all fakes from the late 1800’s. A very strange thing to do, and very strange to put them all on display.
  Drove to the coast (Cabras) for the night.
• Tue 8th Feb

  Drove down the peninsula to the west of Oristana, to the Byzantine church of San Giovanni di Sinis, built around 1000 AD. Unfortunately closed, but the outside was quite remarkable. Amazing it has survived so long.
  

  Just down the road is the Roman city of Tharros. Not a lot remains. The city was abandoned (post Roman), due to being raided, which led to the city of Oristana being built. There is a contemporary account of “cart loads of stones being brought from Tharros to build Oristana.”

  

  Back in Oristana

  Not the most interesting of cities. The cathedral…
  

• Wed 9th Feb

  Did very little. Another cloudless windless day. Drove to Milis, two potentially interesting churches. Both firmly locked shut.

• A day of two Nuraghes (?Nuraghie)
  Somewhat backtracking on ourselves, but glad we did. Went to Su Nuraghe, one of the biggest. Visit is only by guided tour, and our tour was Sue myself and the guide, who spoke excellent English, and explained so much about these fascinating structures.
  Started around 1600 BC, it has a central tower, and five towers around the central tower. The central tower was two stories high (only the bottom story remains), topped by a smaller tower, with a corbelled top. The evidence for this is a sculpture found in the tower when it was excavated.
  

  Difficult to photograph, it was in a glass cabinet, with (very welcome) sun streaming through the window.
  The dressed stones used for the corbelling were also found.
  

  Around 1300BC, the outer wall was strengthened and thickened, and a further wall was built around the whole structure. This was presumably to counter a threat, but whatever the threat was is unknown.
  We were shown an aerial pictures of the site, which showed this very clearly. I tried to take one, but was unable to levitate, weighted down with my camera.
  Best I could manage, looking over the subsequent bronze and Iron Age structures from the top of the tower.
  

• Iron Age house, multiple rooms, all with a room dedicated to a round water receptacle.
  

  Strange. Presumably some sort of ritual. That favourite word of archaeologists.
  Back to the main tower, the strengthening in 1300BC also moved the entrance from ground floor level to around 20 feet up, with a somewhat difficult descent inside.
  

  

  And then inside the tower. Nuraghe are unique to Sardinia, and there are about 800 on the island.
  Artefacts found in the Nuraghe are displayed in a museum about 800 yards away, in a large house built in the late 16th century. The house fell into disrepair, and when it was restored to turn it into a museum, it was found that the flat solid surface on which it was built was, in fact, the top of another buried Nuraghe!
  

  Enough Nuraghe for one day. Off to another tomorrow!

• Fri 11th Feb

  Another Nuraghe

  Losa Nuraghe. A larger central tower than we have seen before, with a lot of niches and smaller rooms. Most of the surrounding towers, and indeed a lot of the central tower has gone.
  

  Sue on top of the tower, having climbed the difficult internal stairway.
  

  The central tower, and some of the surrounding structures.

• And a holy well.
  Part of a complex, comprising a church (nothing of the original left), a Nuraghe (we both feel a bit Nuraghed out, and this one had very little remaining), and the holy well, although no explanation why it was “holy”. Certainly, really well constructed, around 1000BC, and is remarkably well preserved.
  

  Apparently, the summer and winter solstice line up with the opening, and the sun shines directly into the well.
  

  The well, at the bottom of the flight of steps.
  

  Looking up.

• Sat 12th Feb
  Drove from Bosa to Alghero on a warm sunny day. Slow twisting road, stunning scenery, very enjoyable drive. Arrived in Alghero around lunch time, and found a large car park on the front overlooking the marina. One other motorhome was here. Decided we would stay here for the night, after lunch went for a walk round the old town (and look for a restaurant for this evening). Found a restaurant we liked very quickly, the old town was nice to walk round, although Sue kept complaining about cobbled streets – they are uncomfortable! Of course, being Italy, everything was closed for siesta, except for a couple of churches, so, as we were there….nothing very memorable.
  

  We are getting a bit blasé, too many churches.
  Although the history of Alghero starts much earlier, most of the old town was built around 1700.
  Had a very nice meal in the evening. When we arrived back at the car park, a multitude of motorhomes have arrived. By late evening there are eighteen. More motorhomes than we have seen in our entire time in Sardinia. Strange that so many should be here. Apart from us, they are all Italian registered. This is something else very noticeable on this trip – the motorhomes we saw in France were practically all French (a couple of Spanish, a couple of Dutch, nothing else), and here all Italian. Assume travel has been greatly reduced by covid. Apart from Macron being flakey about visitors from the UK to France, travel within the EU is pretty straightforward provided one has a vaccination certificate.

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