July 21, 2022
We started the day having breakfast in the beautiful garden of the Hotel Lucrezia, a quaint little inn that was once a farmhouse. The hotel is tucked into a backstreet of the tiny little village of Riola Sardo.
After breakfast, we drove over to nearby Putzu Idu beach. Despite the early hour, it was already rather crowded.
So we didn’t stay long but headed off to our next and final destination, Gesturi. Like Riola Sardi, Gesturi is a tiny little village. Arriving at the village in the late afternoon, we immediately went exploring its narrow streets.
The main claim to fame for the village appears to be that it is the birthplace of Father Nicola da Gesturi. Born in 1882 as Giovanni Medda, he became a friar in his late twenties, taking the name Father Nicola and spent the rest of his life wandering the streets of Cagliari begging for alms. He became much loved in the city and during his wanderings many approached him not only to give money but also to ask for advice, comfort or a prayer. During World War II, Cagliari was heavily bombed and Father Nicola stayed in the city offering help among the rubble. He died in 1958 and about sixty thousand people attended his funeral. Apparently, traffic was blocked for hours during the funeral procession. His photo is on the wall of the church and his face is on a number of murals in the town.
We stayed the night a quaint B&B, called Cortis Antigas, that had been beautifully restored by our host.
Next door to the B&B was a charming restaurant where we had a great meal sitting in its courtyard.
The next morning we had breakfast in the inn’s courtyard. Like practically all of the food we have had during our trip, it was fresh and delicious.
After breakfast we headed to the airport, after a couple of amazing weeks in Sardinia and Corsica. We thoroughly recommend them to anyone seeking a Mediterranean holiday. Hopefully, we will get back there some time in the future.
Mal and Lauren 