2025 Volendam, Cagliari, Sardinia, Italy...

We arrived into Cagliari in the darkness and I was out front for the sail in. Our planned tour was cancelled the previous day so we had no plans for the day. We were hoping to get a taxi to take us to San Sperate but there were no taxis at the port gate when Ann, Cathy and I disembarked the ship. It was raining and with no real plan we wandered aimlessly around old town Cagliari. We started in the old quarter of the city along the waterfront and climbed and took stairs taking in artistic and cultural richness hidden in its narrow streets that led us to the Bastion St. Remy. On our way up to the Bastion, we stopped and visited inside St. Eulia Church. The Bastion is a 19th-century structure and one of Cagliari’s iconic locations. I climbed the grand staircase and from the terrace, you are rewarded with a sweeping view of Cagliari and the shoreline…unfortunately the MSC ship in port with us totally blocked the view of the Volendam. From Palozzo Costituzione, we made our way back down to Palazzo Yenne and then to the port. On our rainy morning stroll, we passed 7 churches and stopped at 4 palazzos. We returned to the port area on the hunt for a taxi to take us to San Sperate. As luck would have it there was one taxi at the port. We made our deal with Giovani and off we went on our off-the-beaten-path adventure. We headed north from Cagliari about 12 miles to a farming community known as San Sperate. San Sperate is a charming village known for its vibrant murals and artistic atmosphere. It became famous thanks to the artist Pinuccio Sciola, who transformed it into an open-air museum of wall paintings and sculptures. San Sperate blends art, tradition, and community spirit, making it a unique cultural destination in Sardinia. Our first stop was the Pinuccio Sciola Sound Garden. Sciola now deceased, created sounding sculptures, bringing out sounds from monoliths of limestone or basalt. The garden features hundreds of sculptures, including "sound stones" that emit musical tones when touched. The rain did not deter us from touring the garden. San Sperate, however, is not only the artistic “home” of Pinuccio Sciola, but also a town famous for more than 300 murals that decorate the walls of the ancient houses: real masterpieces that tell the history and traditions of Sardinian peasant people. Our last stop was a road side fruit and vegetable stand. Our driver Giovani stopped to buy some produce and told us to get out of the van and look around…not only did this local farmer and his wife have home grown produce for sale, they had beautiful flowers and a copper/bronze sculpture workshop. This was a totally unexpected surprise for us...the sculptures were masterpieces and the oranges delicious. Our day in Sardinia turned out to be fantastic and we accomplished everything and more. Another off the beaten path experience in an unusual and original corner of Sardinia. A wonderful day!!!