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It seemed appropriate that we continued south from Corsica to Sardinia. What we found was a simple lifestyle without the pressures of the huge sailing vessels, beautiful bodies appropriately tattooed with family and favourite icons and copious amounts of baguettes.
By now summer was in full swing. The most affordable accommodation we found was in holiday resorts, often dating back to the 1970s in their style. While the resorts were not quite full, the adjoining beaches were brimming with tanning bodies of all shapes and sizes. I long gave up the bikini in favour of a more modest “one piece” to accentuate the better parts of my ageing body and Bruce has been hiding his bulges behind board shorts for some years. Alas – we were left out. Bikinis fit any size body and the skimpy tog is absolutely acceptable, regardless of your shape or size. I do have to admit that a little tanning goes a long way in forgiving the bulges.
Of greater interest was the amazing Nuraghe villages of an ancient people who inhabited this island 37 centuries ago. They mined and developed bronze tools and icons during the early bronze age and traded with many of the Mediterranean countries. They built towers in their villages to watch and protect their people as well as store food – these towers are beautiful in their design and shape.
And even before their time, in the Late Neolithic period (3400-3200 BC) they buried their people in tombs cut into rocks and ensured their after life with symbols such as bovine heads and horns and architectural elements such as architraves or false doors.
So rich in minerals, Sardinia has been a constant target of attack. The Genovese came and plundered, the Spanish brought and left the Catalan language and more recently the island has been mined extensively during fascist rule.
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