We're on the move again to Oliena, as Sophia has booked us accomodations at Agriturismo Guthiddai. An Agriturismo is a rural farm-stay where breakfast and dinner is usually included. Meals are made from fresh local produce, so we're really looking forward to some great food. Too bad we have to rush to catch the bus in the morning, because the Hotel Il Quercato also has a really nice breakfast of apricot filled croissants, fresh plums and figs! We eat quickly and dash out.
We walk to the ARST bus stop and the bus is about 30 min. late. The ARST buses can be a pain in the ARST. Sometimes late, sometimes on time. Even at the hotel they are sketchy about the details of the bus system. "Yes, we have the schedule...sometimes the bus driver stops, sometimes they don't...ask them before you get on....i think it runs on the weekend". We are also unsure about the tickets. Sometimes you have to buy them at the local bar, sometimes you can buy them on the bus. As it's early Sunday morning, Dorgali is a ghost town and nothing is open.
The bus driver is not happy that we don't have tickets. He doesn't sell tickets, or he's unwilling to write out the tickets as other bus drivers have done. We try to give him some money, but he shoos us away and points to just get on the bus and sit down. Oliena is only a short drive away and even when we thank him as we leave, he says something snarky in Italian. We're just happy for the ride as it would be hours before the next bus would head to Oliena.
The address for the agriturismo says Oliena, so we think it must be on the outskirts of town. A sign points us to head out of town. We walk for a while and we question a kind granny out tending her garden. "Quarantacinque".....i think she said 45 minutes...an ominous feeling grows inside of me. We walk some more and my suspicions are confirmed...a sign says, "Guthiddai 4 km.".....4 KILOMETERS!! It's not that far, but never have I walked this distance in this heat with a 25+ lb. pack on my back. Sophia just smiles and yells, "HAPPY BIRTHDAY! We can do it!!". Oh yes, and it's my birthday and what a memorable way to start it.
We walk and walk, cars passing us and people staring. Needless to say, we're the only ones walking. We pass two cyclists who are travelling in the opposite direction and we all wave. I feel like it's a Fantastic Mr. Fox moment. We are kindred spirits. Forget those wusses in their cars....we are free!
Finally we see a sign and a turn off and head down a dirt road. We arrive at Agriturismo Guthiddai, a beautiful spot at the base of the Supramonte mountains.
We're exhausted, hot, and sweaty, but the walk was well worth it. The reception office is locked so we wait in the courtyard. A few people come and go, but we're not sure if they're guests or staff, but no one seems to bother with us....hmm...two asian loitering in the middle of nowhere. Finally, we meet Antonella, one of the daughters who helps run the place and she checks us in and shows us our room. The property is beautiful and each room has a little porch/sitting area and a large table stretches out in the back garden.
The family has 2 dogs and some cats running around outside. Ciccio is calm and quiet napping in the grass. Every once in a while, he meanders to another sweet spot and resumes his napping position. Lucky is the 2 month old puppy who just wants to PLAY PLAY PLAY!! He runs at me full throttle as I cross the lawn and nibbles at my toes until I almost fall over. He tries to rouse Ciccio but he pays him no mind. They're fun to watch while we hang out in the garden. The scavenger cats come when we try to eat our snacks, crawling over my lap and looking at me yearnfully.
In the afternoon, we take a walk to Su Gologone, a natural spring 2 km. down the road. It's a nice little park to picnic in and relax. There's some trails around to climb higher to see the view, but we're too tired from our morning walk to do much more than see the chapel and the spring. The water is so clear and cold, but no bathing or dipping your feet!
We head back to Guthiddai for dinner. We gather at the large table in the backyard and we're served some sweet, amber coloured pre-dinner wine. Dinner begins around 8:30pm. and we discover small tables set up in another section of the yard, one for each party. The scene is unbelievably gorgeous, almost like a movie set. It's how I always imagined having a dinner party outside might be like, sitting before flowering trees and the mountains with the sun setting in the background.
We are not used to this Italian eating. We forget there is Primi (first course/pasta) AND Secondi (second course/meat). A bread basket sits on the table filled with Pane Carasau, a Sardinian flatbread that resembles Indian pappadum. They're like crunchy thin chips drizzled in olive oil. The appetizer is a charcuterie board of various slices of meat. The Primi comes and it's a dish of thick pasta noodles in a tomato meat sauce. Thinking this is the main course, we eat it all up. It's delicious and I think, wow, what a great meal. Not so fast, there is also Secondi, which is a plate of porchetta, 4 large slices of roast pig. We only manage to eat a slice each even though it's quite tasty and tender too. We're just too full! It tastes very much like chinese suckling pig, but without the sweet sauce. For dessert, we have the choice between fruit or a tiramisu like cake. I glance at my watch and it's almost midnight, but what a delicious and fantastic experience.
