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After a wonderful stay at Tenuta di Papena in Tuscany we decided to try another Agriturismo farm. This one in Oristano.
Since it was only a short distance from Alghero we took the slow road via the coast and enjoyed the beautiful scenery, remindingus of the Great Ocean Road near Lorne. We had lunch at Bosa, a quaint town set on the Temo River. Important over the centuries, particularly 12th to 14th AD as the Italians and Spaniards fought for the rich alluvial land. The Spaniard influence is rich in Sardinia, with many people speaking a local version of the Catalan language.
Our farm stay was hosted by Giovanna & Pietro Maggino. They run a small hobby farm which is brimming with fresh fruit and vegetables on the flat plains near Oristano. We shared meals with Sicilian and Dutch visitors during our stay.
Giovanna packed iced water, fresh tomatoes and figs for our lunch each day, insisting that the restaurants overcharge in Summer.
Near Oristano, at Tharros, were the only Roman ruins we visited in Sardinia. Like many ruins it had a long history of development and included hundreds of chamber tombs and rock-cut burials, a Nuraghy village and a Phoenician trophet which was an open air burial sanctuary for children and animals.
The Roman ruins in basalt had a wonderfully preserved sewerage system and just two marble columns. The baths were well preserved, however one had been transformed to a basilica and baptistery during the early-Christian phase.
We took a drive to the campagne (country) to Lake Omodeo and the village of Zuri which had been relocated in 1923 when the lake was formed. The beautiful, simple church of St Pietro, of the 12th century was relocated up the hill. Typical in this area are the basalt houses.
Tourist information was rich – booklets and maps are available in each region, however finding the attractions is another matter. As we wended our way through the country we missed or failed to find most of the suggested highlights. We did however find the Necropolis near Villa Sant’Antonio complete with a huge carpark and lovely tourist reception in an area surrounded by pretty stone walls. It, like the tombs, was abandoned. We waded through the tall dry grass to explore a few of these tombs and looked around in wonderment at the emptiness of this lost attraction.
