We make our first stop on this journey along the eastern coast of Sardinia in Orosei. An interesting town with a well conserved historic center, Orosei rests just a few kilometers away from the beautiful beaches of Marina di Orosei. Here, just meters off the shore, lulled by the crystal clear waters of the Mediterranean, there is the wreck of the KT12, a German landing craft, torpedoed and sunk by a British submarine during the Second World War.
Traveling just a few kilometers inland, we skirt around the Tuttavista Mountain to reach Galtelli, a small rural town in which 1926 Nobel Prize winner Grazia Deledda set her famous novel Reeds in the Wind. Galtelli is now home to a literary park, named in honor of the great Sardinian author.
Just ten kilometers further South, we find Dorgali and the Nuraghic village of Serra Orrios, in which the ruins of some 80 buildings can still be seen. Dorgali, in the hinterland of Cala Gonone, is the perfect departure point for those wishing to explore the mountains of Supramonte and the Su Gorropu gorge - a spectacular canyon and site of the Nuraghic village of Tiscali. From here, the beaches of Cala Sisine and Cala Luna are just a short distance away.
In the heart of the Bay of Orosei, lies the Grotta del Bue Marino, accessed by one of the boats regularly departing from the port of Cala Gonone. This immense cave features an entrance chamber which branches off to the north and to the south, and offers a magnificent display of shimmering, multi-colored reflections.
In Nuoro, capital of the Barbagia, we could easily spend the whole day touring the city's historic center, visiting the Museum House of Grazia Deledda, the National Archaeological Museum, the Cathedral, the Speleo-Archaeological Museum, the MAN (Nuoro Art Musuem) and the Church of the Madonna delle Grazie.
Of all the traditional Sardinian folkloric events, one of the most famous is the Mamoiada Carnival, held in the town located just 18kms South of the provincial capital. The festivities include the re-enactment of the Sardinian's historic victory over the Saracens, complete with spectacular procession of mamuthones. These quite awesome characters, bent under the weight of the 30 kilos of cow bells on their shoulders, sport impressive wooden masks, similar to those found in the town's Museum of Mediterranean Masks.
From Mamoiada, our journey takes us back towards the coast, via Santa Maria Navarrese, fraction of Brunei, from where we soon reach the southern shores of the Bay of Orosei and the popular holiday destinations of Cala Mariolu and Punta Caroddi, this latter a favorite among free climbers. Traveling South, we reach Tortolì and Arbatax, where the famous Manda-Arbatax train line terminates. The 159km trip on the little green train, offers visitors the opportunity to travel, at a distinctly leisurely pace, across some of the island's most beautiful scenery: through the wooded mountainside of Gennargentu and along the shores of Lake Flumendosa.
