The Sardinian Escapade

Sardinia captives with its wild interior, dazzling beaches, and endearing eccentricities.

Destination – Sardinia. With some of Italy's wildest countryside, over 1700 kilometers of pristine coastline and a seven-month summer, Sardinia is the original sun-and-sea summer destination. Picnic on Neolithic stones among fields of wildflowers, climb through sea caves hung with stalactites, or wind and twist your machine around great pavement.

The Magic of Florence

Before departing for one of the most beautiful islands in the Mediterranean, take the opportunity to explore Florence. A guided walking tour and dinner in the city are a perfect beginning to this two-week adventure.

Ah, choices! A free day in Florence allows shakedown rides into the Chianti region, to Pisa, or to the fascinating walled city of Lucca. Unless, of course, you choose to wander, rather than ride, a bit more in the magical city of Florence. Spend the day investigating its art and architecture in even greater detail – the choice is yours.

Once on the road discover brilliant pavement faithfully following undulating hills. Tuscany is a land of curves – the topography, the roads, the clouds.

Explore the scenic vineyards of the Chianti wine growing region where small castles and impressive villas sometimes house a winery or a traditional Tuscan restaurant. Accommodation on the first overnight is, in fact, a tower in a Borgo – a small village. You will feel you are traveling back in time, staying in this tiny medieval village hidden in the lush green hills of Siena.

Napoleon’s Elba

The first dash away from the mainland is to Elba, a small island that once was the entire Empire of Napoleon Bonaparte.

Now it is a touch of Tuscany without tourists. As with many islands, time seems to slow down a bit and life is carried out at a more relaxed pace than on the mainland. Revel in yet another discovery on a Beach tour – the art of staying away from it all. But to the mainland we must return to for one more night in the port town of Porto Santo Stefano. This active harbor town made worldwide newscasts recently when a cruise ship ran aground only a few miles away.

Cross the Tyrrhenian Sea

One of the two large islands that lie off the western coast of Italy, Sardinia is much less explored and far emptier than its southern neighbor Sicily. Marooned between Italy and North Africa, at its northern tip it gazes just a few miles across the water to the French island of Corsica. DH Lawrence visited in the early 1920s and found it 'lost between Europe and Africa and belonging to nowhere'.

Riding these twisty roads is a roller coaster experience. Our adventure takes us over mountain roads with tight curves, along seashore cliffs, and through the wilderness. The dramatic views of the sea, roads running on high cliffs, and glorious mountains peaks will leave you astonished.

Some of the best roads in the whole of Italy can be found in Sardinia, and the fantastic riding is the main reason we are there. Geographically distinct from the mainland, Sardinia is made up of vibrantly green gorges and valleys, and spectacular stretches of unspoiled coastline. Here you will experience the narrow twisties, hairpin turns, and cliff hanging precipices of some of the most exciting motorcycle roads in the world. We disembark the ferry at Olbia and ride north to get our first taste of this fantastic riding.

Free day on the Emerald Coast

The Emerald Coast doesn't need to be presented – its name has become famous all over the world. This corner of Sardinia has been chosen for vacations by VIP’s of the world (like the folk on a Beach tour).

Spend the day relaxing on the beach or exploring one of the many small villages nearby. If it is more intense riding you desire, head out of town and attack the curves again, this time on roads hugging the rugged seaside cliffs. Watch for access paths to the hidden coves, and enjoy a break on the beach. You may be the only people there!

Explore Sardinia in Detail

North-western Sardinia offers a landscape alive with rich vegetation and a coast full of captivating colors.

The next two days are spent in the heart of the island. In this piece of Sardinia lives an oasis of tradition and culture, characterized by a variegated landscape cascading from the mountain to the rounded hills. Surprisingly uncontaminated, the low population density of Sardinia becomes even more apparent as we venture inland, on roads will little traffic, and pass through tiny villages with no one about. Herding is the way of life for many of the interior’s menfolk, who travel into the hills for the entire summer, living off the land and attending their flock.

As they say on the InItaly website, “Sardinia is for adventurers, for those of us who like to feel we've accomplished something when we travel, those who want to push just a little bit farther than the crowd, those who are intrigued, not frightened, by civilizations that initially may seem inexplicable.”

One of the last genuinely untouched stretches of Mediterranean coastline is on the route to Pula. Drop down to sea level here and one will surely find that private cove missed earlier on the tour.

Pula, on the southern coast – perfect for a lay by

Pula, the 2nd double-overnight stop on Sardinia is surrounded by “typical” Sardinia - mountains and azure-blue sea. Swimming, snorkeling or dynamite rides may all factor into the free day. Pula is an excellent base from which to visit the Island’s megalithic structures, the buildings of the Nuragic. Little is known of these people, but approximately 7,000 of their structures, built in 3500 BC, remain on the island.

Cagliari, the capital of the island since the days of Rome, is Sardinia's biggest town and only a short hop from our hotel. With echoes of Rome, the town was built on seven hills. The atmospheric heart of Cagliari is in the old Castello (castle) district, which sits atop one of the hills, overlooking the port. The old city has narrow lanes to explore, and the city walls are flanked by two Pisan towers. Like many of those invaders, the novelist DH Lawrence first saw Sardinia from the sea and was much struck. He likened it to Jerusalem, 'strange and rather wonderful, not a bit like Italy.'

Finally, head back up the eastern coast or venture through the mountainous interior with turn after turn of tight arcs and stunning views. With mountains, rocks, and a crystalline sea, the landscape found in this territory of Sardinia is spectacular. The Ogliastra with its ‘Tacchi’ (mountain outcrops), desert areas and small isolated coves; the Gennargentu with its snow-covered mountain tops and wide open skies, and finally the Supramonte, an uncontaminated paradise of still unexplored caves, centuries-old forests and archaeological and naturalistic treasures all await. It probably won’t be easy to embark on the overnight ferry crossing back to the mainland but, alas, it is time to depart is now personally known as the magical island of Sardinia.

And how amazingly different Florence now seems, with its rush of people, its seeming confines – remember how open these hills looked only two weeks ago? Travel, adventure and a good escapade do, indeed, alter perspectives.

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