8. Sardinia - the South Coast & Central West Regions

After spending 3 days in Cagliari we rented a car to travel around Sardinia, because it's difficult to reach a lot of places by public transport. 

So last Wednesday (21 June) we headed south from Cagliari along the coast and spent the first night in Calasetta on Sant'Antioco island on the south west coast.  We then went inland from the west coast to visit the Nuraghe Su Nuraxi ruins near Barumini and stayed overnight at the small hilltop town of Villanovaforru.

NORA

A complex of ruins of a city that was originally founded by the Phoenicians in the 8th-9th century BC and later invaded by other groups, including the Romans in the 3rd century AD - they made it their capital in Sardinia. The city was finally abandoned in the 8th century AD.

Nora city ruins in the foreground, with the17th century Cotelazzo watchtower (built by the Spanish) in the background:

Columns remaining from a Roman building:

Remains of a Roman amphitheatre:

Some other Roman ruins, including mosaic floors:

Closer view of the Spanish watchtower:

View over the Nora ruins from the watchtower:

The beach at Nora:

COSTA DEL SUD

We drove the hilly & winding road around the coast and saw lots of great scenery, but there were few opportunities to stop & take photos, so this is the best I managed:

CALASETTA

Unfortunately we have no photos of the lovely beach and marina at Calasetta - we didn't take our cameras to the beach when going for a swim in the late afternoon and ended up dining near the marina before we went back to the hotel after sunset.

NURAGHE SU NURAXI (near Baramini)

Commenced in 1500 BC, this is the most famous of the 7000 nuraghe sites in Sardinia - archeologists don't know whether the nuraghe structures are defensive watchtowers, sacred ritual sites or prehistoric community centres.

The nuraghe su nuraxi tower from a distance - it's a series of interlocking dry stone conical towers that was originally 3 storeys 18.6m height, with housing structures in front:

Scenes from inside the towers:

Scenes of structures outside the towers:

View from the tower of a hill in the distance that has the ruins of a medieval castle on top:

VILLANOVAFORRU

Museum & fountain in the central piazza (where we had a few beers after arriving late in the day):

7. Sardinia - Cagliari

We spent 3 days at a B&B in the busy Marina district of Cagliari, which is Sardinia's largest city and the capital.  The area we stayed in is close to the seafront, with narrow lanes with lots of shops, cafes and restaurants. 


The stairway to Bastione Saint Remy, a large piazza in the medieval Castello district, which is on a ridge overlooking the modern city:

The top of the archway viewed from the piazza at Bastione Saint Remy:

The piazza area:

The eastern edge of the historic Castello district:

The southern edge of the Castello district, viewed from a tower: 

View from the tower towards the port:

View across the rooftops in the Castello district, towards the cathedral:

Lots of domes in the lower part of the city:

The ruins of a Roman amphitheatre:

Poetto Beach, about 20 minutes bus ride from town:

Pink flamingoes in the Molentargius nature park:

6. Sicily - Palermo & Monreale

We spent three days in Palermo then caught an overnight ferry to Cagliari in Sardinia.  While in Palermo we took a short side trip to see the Monreale Cathedral.

PALERMO

One of the four buildings on the Quattro Canti (four corners) crossroads, which is the centre of the medieval town:

Palermo Cathedral:

Historic Massimo Theatre, said to be the largest in Italy:

Porto Nuovo, a gate to the city erected in 1535:

Internal courtyard in the Royal Palace:

A narrow street in the centro storico (historical centre):

Marina near our B&B:

MONREALE

Monreale Cathedral:

Inside the Cathedral - the famed gold mosaics on the side walls portray a range of religious stories:

View over the cloister:

Close up view of a tower, on a walk around the top of the Cathedral:

View towards Palermo from Monreale:

LEAVING PALERMO:

The overnight ferry (a 12-hour trip) we caught to Sardinia:

Two Dutch cycletourists prepare to board:

The bike storage trailer of a commercial cycletouring company, whose advertising uses the famous quote from John F Kennedy "Nothing compares to the simple pleasure of a bike ride": 

On the deck of the ferry before departure:

Sunset from the ferry - at right is another ferry heading towards Palermo:

5. Sicily - Ragusa Ibla & Agrigento

After leaving Ortigia/Siracusa, we spent 3 nights in Ragusa Ibla and 3 nights in Agrigento, taking a day trip from the latter to see the mosaics at Villa Romana de Casale near the town of Piazza Armerina.

RAGUSA IBLA

Ragusa is two towns in one, due to rebuilding after the 1693 earthquake destroyed the original town.  Ragusa Ibla was rebuilt on a ridge at the bottom of a gorge in a baroque style with a maze of narrow streets, while Ragusa 'Superiore' overlooks Ibla and has a grid pattern.


View of Ragusa Ibla from the walk up to Ragusa Superiore:

The Cathedral:

The public garden:

 View in a narrow street:

A narrow church near the base of the climb up to Ragusa 'Superiore':

View of the edge of Ragusa 'Superiore' from Ragusa Ibla:

Low lying parkland & open space separates the two sections of Ragusa 'Superiore':

AGRIGENTO

We visited Agrigento to see the archeological area nearby known as the Valley of the Temples, an extensive area of ruins of an ancient city built on a ridge near the coast by the Greeks around the 5th century BC. We also visited the associated archeological museum.

The Temple of Concordia is the best preserved:

The Temple of Concordia seen from a distance:

The Temple of Juno:

The Temple of Hercales:

View of Agrigento from the Archeological Park:

The Turkish Steps, a natural landform on the coast near Agrigento (formed from Marl, a white sedimentary rock):

VILLA ROMANA MOSAICS

We took a day trip to Villa Romana from Agrigento to visit the ruins of the Villa Romana del Casale, which contains the most extensive and best preserved Roman floor mosaics in the world.

Some examples of the mosaics: 

The photo above was taken by Toni, those below have been borrowed off the internet:

A view of the nearby town of Piazza Armerina: