Cagliari

Approaching Cagliari – (lower picture) the yacht very nearly hit the rock (centre of frame), probably because the rock was hidden in the backdrop of cliffs behind it 

Tower and coastguard station on the
eastern approach to Cagliari    

We had nearly eaten down all the supplies in the fridge, so on Thursday 15 June it was time to head west from our anchorage off Villasimius to Cagliari. There was virtually no wind so it was a 3-hour, dull motor west with the monotony pretty much only relieved by the excitement of watch a yacht very nearly hit an isolated rock off Capo Sant’Elia in the approaches to the port (rock shown in lower picture above). They did a very abrupt 90 degree turn with barely 30 metres to go to hitting the rock; a very lucky last minute spot by the helm!

Rooftop view of the harbour (you can just make out Marina di Sole close right of the
tower block in the left-hand picture)    

Cagliari harbour is BIG and separate to the main harbour (where the grotty yachties and the ferries go) there is a container port and also, about 5nm distant, a tanker port close to the oil refineries and a power station. We headed for Marina di Sole in the far southeastern corner of the harbour. Not so convenient for sight-seeing than the city centre marina but much quieter and better on the pocket!

The Elephant Tower   

We took a (longish) stroll into the city centre and, having first managed to get a view across the harbour from the top floor of a department store, we headed up into the Centro Storico. This area, high on a hill overlooking the harbour area, was the fortified city of the Middle Ages, first built by the Pisans, with later additions by the Aragonese and the Spanish. We came first to the Elephant Tower, so called because of a carved marble elephant above its gateway. The Elephant Tower was built by the Pisans in 1307 as a part of the defensive walls of the city, and stands 42m tall above the side from which an invading army would be attacking. Only one other Pisan tower remains, the Torre di San Pancrazio, which helped to defend the city’s northern side. Interestingly, the inside face of each tower is open to the city street below, though it is not clear to us why this should be so. Perhaps it was to save on the cost of building materials.

Tall narrow streets   

From the Elephant Tower, we wandered the alleys and narrow streets of the old town, enjoying the tall buildings with their balconies and sculpture work. Some of them appear to have been recently refurbished, though there are still plenty of places, as an estate agent might put it, exhibiting ‘the patina of old age’.

Bastione de Saint Remy   

From the narrow streets of the old town, we came upon the Bastione di San Remy from the top and enjoyed the many views it has to offer. It was only later that we saw it from below, no longer fortified as it had been originally but still imposing. Unfortunately, whilst we were visiting, the bastion was undergoing refurbishment so the steps up and down its front face were closed to us.

The Torre di San Pancrazio above the old fortification walls 

The following day, walking down below the fortification walls to the north and east of the old city, we saw the second remaining Pisan tower, the Torre di San Pancrazio. Given the geography of the city, and the way the buildings have sprung up over the centuries, this tower is almost the more imposing of the two.

The morning of Friday 16 June saw us at San Benedetto food market, which is, according to the tourist blurb, ‘the city’s main food marker and a treasure trove featuring the best produce in Sardinia’. The blurb wasn’t wrong! We enjoyed ourselves so much wandering the aisles of fresh fruit and veg and then trying to decide which fishmonger to honour with our custom, that I almost forgot to take any pictures at all. There was plenty of tuna on offer; the largest is pictured but, though it is big, it just doesn’t compare to those in the black and white pictures from Ex-Stablimento Floria in Favignana!

Our BBQ meal   

We decided on a massive prawn barbecue to celebrate our 16^th wedding anniversary and had a difficulty deciding which ones to buy – but we think we made a good choice, and there were plenty left over for lunch the next day too!

Sailing in the Mediterranean sunshine is lovely but the UV light is hugely damaging to fabrics, especially those that are not particularly heavy-duty. Several of our sail tiers, as well as the tapes we use to hold the wheel stationary [Ed: when it’s not in use!] and the Velcro on the outboard engine cover were all showing signs of UV degradation. Happily, we found a couple of very good chandleries close to our marina berth and were able to get the right sized webbing tape to replace the worn stuff, so I spent a couple of hours fighting the sewing machine but came out victorious.

Flamingo flypasts   

And as if to celebrate [Ed: our wedding anniversary or the successful sewing?] we were treated to a couple of flamingo flypasts. The ornithologists would say that they were just on their way to their evening feeding grounds on the salt-lake to the east of Cagliari city……..but I think that we know better!

Cagliari, Sardinia, Italy