INSPIRATION

Today the sky is partially veiled and the path is all downhill! From Trinità d’Agultu I go down a lot, enjoying the wind in my face and the view, and I approach the coast, arriving at Badesi, which is still a few kilometers from the sea.

I arrive at the village, quite modern but with rare traces of ancient houses, especially around the small square with the modern church of the Sacred Heart. From here I can enjoy an excellent view over the entire coast. Piero and Luca, my contacts who are part of the Badus choir, come to meet me. We immediately take a coffee and we are joined by Pierpaolo, another member of the choir, and by the deputy mayor Francesco. Together with them we head to the surrounding countryside to visit a local wine cellar. This is indeed an area of ​​vines, planted in sandy soils. We visit some of them, and we take the chance for an aperitif with a very cold excellent local vermentino.

Before lunch, we go down to the coastal part of the territory. We arrive at the beautiful beach of Li Junchi, where a Legambiente event organized by the Municipality is ending. School children have been involved in cleaning the beach, and they are now setting to start lunch. The municipal administration officially welcomes me, I say two words and play the ukulele before lunch, and the Badus choir delights me with local songs. We are still in Gallura and the typical song here is the ‘a tasgja’ song. I had already heard some examples at the MEOC museum in Aggius but hearing it here live is very interesting, because it is completely different from all the Sardinian songs heard so far. We have lunch in the tables set up next to the beach. I enjoy the view of the sea and the light breeze.

In the afternoon, we continue the tour around the area. We cross the small residential center of Baia delle Mimose, beyond which a very long beach stretches. We walk along a road that runs along the dunes behind of the beach, and we arrive at a wedge of land, between the Coghinas river on the left and the beautiful sea on the right. We climb to the top of the highest dune at the edge of the cord, and admire the view. Miles of beach, white sand. The view extends to the promontory of Castelsardo, and we can already see the island of Asinara.

The beach below us is interrupted by the mouth of the Coghinas, a very important area for natural ecosystems, especially birds. On the other side it’s territory of Valledoria. We go back, passing by the old locks on the Coghinas, a building from the beginning of the last century. Then we cross the whole area of ​​the vineyards, and we stop to see some of them planted on the sand. All this territory behind the coast is in fact an immense dune system on which natural vegetation, trees and Mediterranean scrub has grown, and in which man has partly intervened with crops.

Badesi’s friends take me back to the Hotel Marina, where I will stay, and leave me free soon enough compared to the standards of this trip. I am grateful to them and I take the chance to rest, work on the blog, and above all explore this new way of singing in Gallurese, with my ukulele.

SOUND FRAGMENTS

Ukulele ‘a tasgja’

SHORT SARDINIAN STORIES

The return to the coast makes me think of the sea and I remember that someone mentioned me of someone who went around the coast of Sardinia by canoe. I do a little research online and find several.

In 2018 the Sassarese veterinarian Stefano Grassi, 71, leaves Alghero to try to circumnavigate the island in 15 days, counterclockwise, with some friends. Departed from Fertilia on May 25th, they arrive back here on June 7th, two days before the set goal.

Also in 2018 the 42-year-old Carlo Coni completes the circumnavigation of Sardinia, which started from Cagliari and arrived here at Poetto, in 34 days, after having touched all the coasts of the island. Coni has completed this trying to do everything by himself, sleeping in a tent and a sleeping bag, recharging his cell phone with a small solar panel that he brought with him and often feeding himself with fish he caught.

Then there is the undertaking of the Milanese journalist Vincenzo Maritati: the circumnavigation of Sardinia in different stages, between 2010 and 2013. Starting from Arbatax, going around counterclockwise. Some stages were in company, after in the first solo experience he realised the dangers of the sea, currents, sudden changes in conditions.

In the words of Maritati: “The last days, with beautiful weather, seem to me to be the” final catwalk “for those who have already won the Giro d’Italia or the Tour de France. Finally I conclude this great project that has “haunted me” for years and I promise myself not to embark on such demanding undertakings. The following year I started the Tour of Corsica. “… yes, Corsica … actually, I’m thinking of that too!