Cagliari, Sardinia

Cagliari appeared slowly as we sailed in, moody and bleary eyed. The capital of Sardinia grew where it is because of the large shallow bay, sheltered from the Meltemi winds that roar down through this area in the winter. So sheltered, in fact, that we had to turn on the engine still almost 20 miles from the city, and slowly putter into the harbour with the thick mist condensing on the deck and in our hair, salty from the storm.

After finding a spot in Marina del Sole, a shabby but friendly place at the end of the town quay, we all took long deserved showers and settled in for a desperately needed midday nap. Although not 100% refreshing, that provided us all enough energy to make it out of the marina to the nearest pizza place for the food and celebratory pint that we had been dreaming of for days. That of course sent us immediately to sleep again! 

We woke the next morning much more alive and walked the hour out to the coast guard office for the friendliest check-in we’ve ever had, with speedy paperwork followed by coffee and a tour of their uffici. Then to the train station to see off Sonja who we’d almost forgotten would have to leave since she now seemed a natural part of Seven Tenths.

Suddenly we were alone again with a few days of forecast headwinds in which to explore the city. 

Despite the atmospheric beginnings, Cagliari turned out to be a beautiful and lively town deserving to join the list as one of our highlights. The huddled old-style streets by the water are full of small surprises like the Kyrgyzstani dumpling restaurant, which we visited for lunch, and a surprisingly well stocked chandlers.

Walking up the hill from there the steepness comes as a shock. From the sea you don’t notice the gradient hidden behind the art-nouveau facades of the grand boulevard yet suddenly you find yourself  hiking up impossibly steep alleyways and grand staircases to the fortress city that overlooks the harbour. The buildings themselves seem shocked by the transition - with so many seeming to be barely held up by gridded auras of scaffold. All the while we were struck by the textures, sounds and the smells of the place from the many street musicians, the bustling food market and even in the churches there always seemed to be some choir or organist practising. (We’ve collected some sound samples from around the city, you can listen to them below).

The individual ‘attractions’ of the city didn’t hold us for long – the Roman amphitheatre is best seen from the road and the botanical gardens are charmingly tumble-down – but the city felt welcoming and lively after our time in the Tunisian marina, and we embraced the dropping temperatures and fresh air of European Autumn.