Sunday Outside Alghero

This was a classic Sunday - Church and a big meal afterwards. The church was the interesting and rather stylish 12th century  Trinita di Saccargia near Codrongianos  and the meal was a 3 1/2 hour feast at the restaurant Su Recreu, an agriturismo farm/hotel/restaurant near Ittiri. More splendid driving by Emma on a combination of highways and narrow, twisty country roads. One hour and a quarter to the church and an hour and a quarter to the restaurant where we were the only tourists and the only ones seated at a table for two in two rooms of about 150 people seated family style at tables of from 7 to 50. One room was entirely filled with people celebrating someone's 60th birthday. After the crowd was received outside with white wine and an onion pastry we went inside for a meal that lasted 3 1/2 hours. Three waitresses served everybody a fixed menu, bread, house red wine, 10 antipasti, 2 pastas, 3 meat courses, 2 potato dishes, carrots, cucumbers, anise and two desserts with espresso. Fortunately, the drive back to Alghero from Ittiri was an easy 35 minutes. After resting a bit we did some rough planning of the rest of our trip while doing laundry in a nearby laundromat.

Alternating layers of marble and volcanic stone make a very striking pattern. It was built as a monastery. I get the impression they were stylish monks.

Restored fresco

Cheese-filled pasta tubes called "mariposa."

Potatoes

Antipasti, including cheese with onion jam, prosciutto, sausage, and beef meat balls.

Pre-meal scene

Malloreddus with lamb ragu

Birthday cakes

The other room

Lamb offal (liver, lung, heart etc.)

Frederico, 18 mo. was at the next table

As was Frederico's mother, a Slovakian married to a Sardinian.

Lamb

Potatoes another way

Anise, which they call "finnochio."

Roast suckling pig

Seadas (cheese-filled pastry with honey topping

Some sort of fritter with orange peel

Trip  planning room

THE END
On to Palau and La Maddelena Island tomorrow, we think.