Daniel Young Travels: An Island Off An Island Off Sardinia

On the fifth day we drove from Pula, left the main island of Sardinia via a causeway to the island of San'Antioco where we drove to its northern end town of Callasetta for lunch and a 45-minute ferry ride to Carlaforte the main town of the island of San Pietro. It doesn't get more islandy. Carloforte is famous for making the most out of the tunas it catches in the early part of the year. Traditional preservation techniques make it available now, in October. So we were able to have preserved tuna heart and tuna meat resembling prosciutto etc. We stayed in the old town in a lovely small hotel named Villa Pimpina. We had to park at a distance away because the very narrow streets are reserved for resident parking. Just unloading the car in front of the hotel was a test of nerves because the spot allows just a few inches for other cars to pass, especially with our bigger than average Ford Galaxy. Anyway, Emma did some sensational squeezing through the old town to get us to the parking lot, higher up. And, since the town map was completely unreliable to help us walk back to the hotel, it led to the happy chance of stopping a man on the street who not only showed us the way back but recommended two restaurants, one already #1 on my list and the other unknown to us. As it turned out #1 was closed for renovation. So #2 provided a very interesting lunch. The man who helped us was Maurizio, the coach of the middle-school basketball team.

On the next day we drove around to check out the beaches and shoreline of San Pietro. Emma said it combines geological features of Australia and New Zealand on one small island. Rocks sticking out of the water and many interesting stone formations.

I'm too tired to put the pictures in perfect order. They are all from the island of San Pietro. (except a few as noted.)

View towards water from our room in Villa Pimpina.

Our room in Villa Pimpina

Street leading down to Villa Pimpina

Restaurant recommended by basketball coach

Malloreddus (pasta)

Pane carasau - a traditional Sardinian bread, as thin and crispy as can be.

Reading clockwise from the lower left, anchovies on pimento, some sort of tuna under the cracker, onion with tomato sauce, swordfish.

Preserved tuna - heart on the right, eggs in the curled slice from a form called bottarga on the left and meat above.

21st Century goatherding by two men with sticks sitting in car.
MISTAKE! This is not San Pietro island. I forgot that we explored Capo Spartivento on the way. This and the next 6 are from that area.