Saturday, April 12, 2008

spring time in sardegna

...it has a certain ring, doesn't it? My TWO WEEK trip to Rome and Sardinia is shaping up nicely. I am getting unbelievably excited, with little of my usual pre-trip I-don't-wanna-go-how-will-work-survive-without-me-angst. I WANT to go.

Here's my itinerary thus far:
April 20: land in Amsterdam, transfer to Rome, stay with Gianni and Federica
April 23: Fly to Alghero, Sardinia, a town with a strong Catalan influence--apparently, street signs are in Spanish, food has a Spanish influence. Transfer to Stintino, a fishing village in Northwest Sardinia, near what is supposed to be one of the nicest beaches on the Island, La Pelosa. I'll be staying at a hotel on the beach, Il Silvestrino, for a few nights, my friend Wes is comming to meet me and we will drive down the coast, stopping at some ruins at Tharros, a few beaches perhaps, then ending up in Cuglieri, a village where Wes landed an apartment by swapping his own in Brooklyn. (My new favorite way to travel--apartment swapping. So cheap. Free, actually. Much less complicated (I imagine) than couple swapping.

Anyway, the plan is to hang in Cuglieri, read, (D.H. Lawrence's The Sea and Sardinia, Henry James's Italian Days and I'm trying to choose between two novels--one by Francine Prose, one by Rachel Cusk, lent to me by my well-read friend, Nancy. The beach, of course, hiking, biking along teh coast, day trips (isola di San Pietro?), then to Alghero to stay at La Punta Negra
on the beach for two more days in luxury. I fly back to Rome to spend two nights in Trastevere with my friend Sara, so I get a day in my old 'hood, then back to NYC, hopefully more rested, more fit and well fed--I need to get back into the healthy Mediterranean way of living.

Worked out with my trainer in Central Park, doing some running, jumping jacks, lunges, etc., etc. It was great, but I'm bummed because after I did laundry, I put on a clean pair of jeans and they were...a little tight. I've been snacking a little more this week. I've got to reign it on in. Losing weight is TOUGH. (For me, at least.)

I tried a linking experiment in this post. For some reason, I can't get the linking thing right.

Ciao belillisimi!
Paola

1 comment:

360sardinia said...

Looks like a nice trip and mixture of things to see. If you want a quick preview of what to expect have a look at Stintino on www.360alghero.net/ the map and 360 photos will give you a real idea about "La Pelosa". Tharros you can find on www.360sardinia.net/ but not Cuglieri.