A Shepherd Turns a Spit in Supramonte

Today we got a chance to see the breadth of this huge island, the sweeping interior that is barely covered with civilization even though man has walked these hills and valleys for more than 6,000 years. Actually it was probably longer, since that only takes into account as far back as the Phoenicians, and somebody was likely to already be living here when they arrived.

The drive from the east coast to the tip of the far northwest was across a giant-sized valley. The sweep of the green fields, cut up broadly by stone fences, and punctuated by a surprising number of small extinct volcanoes, was breathtaking in how far you could see. Many of the little farm buildings we saw were abandoned, and some of the hills had the small conicle buildings that were once dwellings before even the Romans lived here.

Today's highlight was meeting a shepherd who lives way up on top of a hill in the Supramonte mountain range. We boarded four jeeps and drove up a rugged trail to the top, where this man has lived for decades, with no wife, just 70 sheep. A long wooden table was prepared for our large group, and strong local wine was served in pitchers, in front of our wooden plates. Sheep's milk ricotta with rosemary honey was the first treat, made that morning, and served on the wafer-thin bread found all over Sardinia. Then the salamis and the proscuitto, and then fresh sliced tomatoes...but inside a little conicle hut, the shepherd was busy.

He was turning a little spit and roasting two suckling pigs just for us. Deliciously creamy with crispy fat and tender lean meat, the pork treat came out right after the sliced fennel, and more of that tempting ricotta from a large deep pan. The setting was under bamboo reeds, and the views of the valley and the dramatic rocks above us were spectacular. A gorgeous sunny day, the buzz from that strong wine, and time to relax with a digestif...ahh, this was the pleasure that we knew we would eventually find on this big wild island of Sardinia.

Tomorrow we leave so early that we will be in Trastavere, Rome's famous neighborhood, by nine am. This hotel is gorgeous with a front row view of the inlet from the Mediterrenean. We got here at about 9:30 pm and will leave before the sun comes up...but no worries, as we are still thinking about that great mountain lunch with the lonely shepherd.

The Little Piggies Roasted at the Monastery for Us

We finally reached the island at about 7 pm, after more than 24 hours of travel and waiting. The group is a nice collection of journalists and tour operators, a large contingent of about 40 or so, all here for the Italy Symposium, where Sardinian tourism potential will be the topic.

We had a few hiccups when we go to the hotel, I immediately plugged in my power strip and the room turned all dark. We got up and moved to another room and boom, it happened again. Maybe I should not use that surge protector after all. But we managed to put on our nice clothes and were taken to a former monastery where an elegant banquet awaited us. A man was cooking little pigs on a rotisserie fire and there were abundant paper cones filled with calamari and fried vegetables.

At dinner we talked about the fate of Alitalia with a man from Eurofly who knew a lot about the inside of the airline business. It was fascinating to hear the point of view about the union largesse, the extravagant spending, and how important this carrier is to tourism in Italy. He said that since most passengers using Alitalia stay in Italy, the carrier is very important to the overall tourism economy, more than with other country's flag carriers.

With Air France, most don't stay in France, but use the airline to go to other countries.

Sardinia Awaits on Monday Morning

I'm about to depart on another transatlantic adventure, this time with Cindy by my side. We fly from JFK to Rome on Sunday night and then over to the island of Sardinia, off Italy's coast. We will join a group of writers from around the US beginning Monday morning and tour the capital Cagliari and the ancient city of Olbia. We will even attend a polo match in Costa Smerelda.

We've both always wanted to see this big island that stands just south of Corsica in the Mediterranean, and it will be warm, sunny and we'll see a lot of the ocean. Cindy and I viewed some webcams of Sardinia and the familiar red roofs and emerald in the distance made us eager to board our Eurofly flight tonight at 11 pm.

While as usual, my demands here make me nervous about leaving, once again my cast of staff will handle all of their duties and I'm sure it will be ok.

Yesterday I was desperate after our sinks were clogged up and we had to get the grease trap cleaned. I had broken all of the stoppers in the sink and so I decided to ask my neighbors at Georgio's about a solution. Voila! Kirkos showed me how the top to an oil jar fits just perfectly into the bottom of the sink and keeps it plugged up better than a stopper. I love the way these guys always know the practical solution to any kitchen problem.