All Around You

All Around You

Porto Rotondo beats Porto Cervo for livability and comfort 1 to 0. "But you want to put all those curves ..!" the ladies of the round are justified. They allude to the panoramic road of the Costa Smeralda or to the one that goes beyond San Pantaleo or even to the busy road that leads to the crossroads of Arzachena. Not wrongly because the roads are clogged with traffic in summer, dangerous for the "Sardinian" driving not exactly exemplary and because not everyone is abstainers, in a word stressful when, as soon as I got off at the Costa Smeralda airport or by the Moby ferries he just wants to be able to get home in twenty minutes .. including a stop at the pastry shop of the Bar Gelateria del Molo for a coffee made artfully and the first melting croissant! Porto Rotondo is comfortable and served and with many pleasant opportunities within the reach of laziness ...

It starts on Monday morning with a trip to the Golfo Aranci market for the purchase of vegetables. The recently renovated promenade is a parade of small bars with great views of the Gulf of Olbia where it is pleasant to have breakfast. After the market, I pass through the picturesque Via dei Pescatori to buy mussels, clams and more. Purchases of fish are also made directly from the boats that return to the small port that ends the village in the shadow of the Sardinia Ferries ferry. Trips to Golfo Aranci to enjoy Cala Sabina dream beach characterized by the railway station or for the fried fish at the historic Manzoni trattoria (book please!) Or next to the church the Neapolitan pizzeria: La Pecora Viziosa.

Tuesday or Wednesday we reach Olbia for weekly shopping. The Romagnolo supermarket located at the beginning of Viale Aldo Moro on the right going down towards the center is highly appreciated. Excellent ricotta ravioli and a good choice of Carasau bread, pecorino and fresh ricotta. In case of errands in the center, a trip to the L'Isola bookshop for the latest book by Marcello Fois, a stone's throw from the historic Matteotti cafe in Piazza Matteotti for the lunch break and a good fried calamari surrounded by chips can be found in front of the Archaeological Museum on the waterfront at the Principe Umberto restaurant. On Wednesdays we reach the town of Arzachena to get lost in Piazza Risorgimento among the stalls of the well-attended market, between Sardinian craftsmanship and cashmere shawls. It is absolutely necessary to be there on Thursday, however, in that meeting place of all the holiday makers of the coast which is the San Pantaleo market. On the beautiful little square of the village, suspended between the incredible rocks, the ritual that an international public loves ... is right!

It starts with breakfast at the bar da Nico, a local institution, continues among the counters and beyond, in the art or clothing workshops perhaps famous as that of Foresta G. And for those who ".. the market is a style of life ”on Friday, from mid-June to mid-September, the seasonal market of Porto Cervo is not missing. To wander between vintage silver and quality bijoux, perhaps it is better to leave the car in the square adjacent to Buffetti in Abbiadori and continue with the shuttle service, park in the square of Sopravento where the super chic market takes place, it may not be the thing anymore easy. Asphodel honey, thorny artichokes in season, Tonara nougat, tomato, pecorino cheese, Muravera oranges ... do you know a more authentic and happy way of approaching Sardinian culture? Always armed with good intentions, if the sky is overcast or the unbearable heat, go up to the Galluresi mountains that the cork oaks make enchanting to discover Tempio Pausania, a granite setting where you can taste Gallurese soup in the ancient restaurant at Giardinetto by Roberto Putzolu ex barman of the Tartarughino of Porto Rotondo or enjoy the suggestive Easter rites of the Sardinian countries. Or still look for the country festivals (New Sardinia punctually signals them with days in advance) that in the parishes follow each other uninterrupted every Sunday from spring to autumn or get lost in the cellars of the Strada del Vermentino ...

Testi by N.T