Domus Comida 1

The Selvaggio Blu, the path which goes right through the wild and poetic heart of Sardinia. Santa Maria Navarrese might be your starting place to discover Sardinia, keep in mind the \'Selvaggio Blu\' defined as one of most wildest trekking in Europe, with Santa Maria as starting point. Hailed as the most difficult walk in Italy, the Selvaggio Blu is certainly one of the most beautiful hikes in the world. \"Wild Blue\" is a manifesto, an hymn to Mother Nature. A monument to that Sardinia made up of sea and cliffs, of ancient tasts and mediterranenan forests which we all dream about. In 1989 Mario Verin, Peppino Cicalò and Pasquale Zucca, the mayor of Baunei had the bright idea of recovering and combining a series of ancient paths that crossed the Supramonte to create this unique coastal traverse from the Gulf of Arbatx to that of Orosei. 20 years have passed since then and Selvaggio Blue has become a reference point for those who love and respect nature in her wildest form. But how has the Selvaggio Blu trek changed, if at all, over the last two decades? We asked this question to Marcello Cominetti, mountaineer, sailor and Mountain Guide who walked this trek right from the outset. A \"non-existent\" path which has as its only reference markers the cobalt blue sea of the island of Sardinia. I can easily remember the age of this path because it\'s the same as my elder son. He, my son, has changed obviously and the path has too, and during the long era of my life spent in that arid part of Sardinia, that path represented only one part. As a young boy I went to discover the Supramonte di Baunei along with my father, friend of a local shepherd who died of old age taking with him that world comprised of donkeys used for transport and stone and juniper pens where nowadays not even a sheep would set foot. Yet 40 years ago men lived in these. Paths were practically unheard of, apart from a few, all the rest were goat tracks. There were hardly any pigs and when you chanced upon them they gave you a fright because, being black, you immediately thought they were wild boar.

Forty kilometres of the wildest Sardinian coastline, with vertical cliffs cut by deep incisions that interrupt the impressive rock walls with sandy bays and beaches, which are true jewels of the Mediterranean. By definition one of the last natural paradises, where birds such as Audouin\'s Gull, Eleonora\'s Falcon and the European Shag nest and live in symbiosis with a natural habitat with many species found only in this area and jealously guarded by the shepherds who to this day graze their herds of goats. The Grotta dei Colombi, the inlets of Portu Pedrosu and Portu Quau and the beaches of Cala Goloritzé and Ispuligidenie (Cala Mariolu and the Spiaggia dei Gabbiani) will accompany you in an unforgettable voyage, discovering undersea sumps inside the Grotta del Fico, the last kingdom of the Monk Seal, and taking you back in time to relive an ancient world. And we\'re not finished, there are still the beaches of Cala Sisine and Cala Luna. Ogliastra stretches from the high Flumendosa basin to the east side of the Gennargentu, and looks over the Tyrrhenian Sea with a high, rocky and spectacularly beautiful coastline. It also includes, at its southernmost boundary, part of the area that historically was part of the marquisate of Quirra. Well aware of the importance of safeguarding this area, the Region and the Comunes have invested in reforestation and developing the forests for walks where you can discover the area\'s natural and archaeological heritage. Ogliastra has a great variety of coastal scenery. In the north, overhanging limestone cliffs are punctuated by quiet sandy bays, such as the famous Cala Goloritzè, reachable only on foot or by boat: Ogliastra is the perfect place for trekking. Further south, at Arbatax, Tortolì and Gairo, broad sandy beaches such as Cea, San Gemiliano, Orrì, and Musculedda alternate with rocks of red porphyry, granite or Coccorocci\'s unusual black beach. Ogliastra is one of those marvellous places in which, between the mountains and the sea, you discover a different view around each corner.

The modern Tourist Port of Baunei and Santa Maria Navarrese, inaugurated in 1998, is a welcoming and safe harbour on the east coast of Sardinia which can accommodate up to 340 vessels of up to 30m in length. The well-qualified and friendly staff and the range of services offered will meet all sailors\' needs. From June 2005, the Port has the Pequod, a swing lift to enable disabled people to board boats, thus becoming the first accessible port in Sardinia. In 2006, for the second time in a row, the Tourist Port won the prestigious Bandiera Blu award for marinas, awarded for the quality of the mooring, services, safety standards, care of the environment and availability of information. Each year the port has attracted more visitors thanks to both the quality of its services and the magical setting in which its located, a little bay with its view of Santa Maria Navarrese\'s Saracen tower and its beach.

Discovering an unspoilt paradise: Ogliastra. Ogliastra, a land of magical beauty, is on the east coast of Sardinia. It\'s the area between the summits of the Gennargentu and the Tyrrhenian Sea, and is considered one of the island\'s most fascinating regions. Ogliastra covers a huge area, more than 1800 km2, and has a small proportion of low-lying coastal plains while most of the territory is comprised of hills that dominate both the coast and the interior. Ogliastra requires an attentive, inquisitive gaze from the visitor, not the usual quick glance of the tourist. A region where Man has lived for centuries in respect of and in harmony with Nature. There are many archaeological remains, with many nuraghi , domus de janas, fonti sacre, tombe dei giganti and menhir. On foot, by bike, on horseback, and by car or 4WD it\'s possible to go exploring and discover unforgettable places; you can walk from the mountains towards the sea following the route of underground streams in centuries-old woods, see flowers, wild animals, and reach incredibly-beautiful sandy bays. But no description can fully describe the beauty and culture of Ogliastra and the hospitality of the people who live there. Only the interplay of images and scents can fully transmit Ogliastra\'s magic and harmony. Come and enjoy an unforgettable experience in woods, canyons, rivers and green valleys, enjoying the beauty of our area. You can choose from excursions of various lengths and difficulties: half-day trips or, if you want to enjoy diving a quad bike to the full, an entire day in contact with Nature. Discover wild places as you find only in Sardinia where you can enjoy the thrill of the quad bike in unspoilt places where you find many animals and plants, from the Golden Eagle and Mouflon to the centuries-old holm oak woods between the Gennargentu, the Supramonte and the Tacchi of Ogliastra.

February to November.

Ogliastra, a land of magical beauty, situated on the east side of Sardinia. This territory, situated between the summits of the Gennargentu and the Tyrrhenian sea, is considered one of Sardinia\'s most fascinating. It\'s a vast area, more than 1800 square kilometres, with a small section of low-lying coastal plains and lots of hills and mountains which dominate the coastline and the interior. Ogliastra is comprised of 23 small comuni (municipalities) of which only 3 have more than 4000 inhabitants and has one of Italy\'s lowest population densities (32 inhabitants/km2).

Trenino Verde (Little Green Train) is the service for tourists run by the Ferrovie della Sardegna which allows you to see the most genuine and fascinating corners of Ogliastra. The Trenino Verde takes you to some of the most beautiful places in the heart of Sardinia, which you can otherwise only reach with great difficulty on foot. The Trenino is ideal for a relaxing, calm day out: its slow speed allows you to enjoy to the full the countryside and wonderful nature, and to visit places full of ancient charm. Starting from the station of Arbatax at sea level, the Trenino Verde\'s route crosses the comunes of Girasole, Villagrande, Elini, Arzana, Ilbono and Lanusei; you see appear majestically the Gennargentu, Sardinia\'s highest mountain chain, with its peaks reflected in the lago Flumendosa. The countryside is a roller coaster of thrills: Perda Liana, a limestone \"tacco\", sticks up all by itself, then you go into the areas belonging to the comunes of Gairo, Ussassai, Ulassai and Seui, when the landscape changes once again, with many-shaped rocks. After 60km, in the middle of a wood formed of centuries-old holm oaks, the train stops, and you proceed on foot to the Montarbu wildlife reserve, between Ussassai and Seui, with the colours and scents of unspoilt nature. A very nice walk follows among the limestone tacchi.

The Ogliastra stretches from the high basin of the Flumendosa up to the eastern slope of the Gennargentu, facing out onto the Tyrrheanian Sea with its tall, rocky coast, of spectacular beauty. It also includes, on its southern borders, a part of the historical territory of the ancient marquisate of Quirra. It is the least populated province in Italy: the territory, almost exclusively mountainous, is to a large extent covered by woods and pastures. Even if now it has also become an important tourist centre, the Ogliastra also continues to live off its traditional activities such as its sheep rearing (most tasty is the pecorino cheese and other cheeses, such as the cas\'e fitta and the casu axeru), its agriculture and wine-production (the famous Cannonau of Jerzu), and craftsmanship. The awareness of the importance of safeguarding the territory has pushed the Regional Government and the Municipalities to invest in the reforestation and in the exploitation of the wood areas, where it is possible to go on excursions to discover its naturalistic and archaeological patrimony. The variety of the coastal landscape is one of the great wealths of the territory. In the north the vertical calcareous cliffs are found in small, silent coves, such as the famous Cala Goloritzè, accessible only by boat or on foot: Ogliastra is the land of trekking par excellence. More to the south, in the territories of Arbatax, Tortolì and Gairo, the wide sandy beaches such as Cea, San Gemiliano, Orrì, and Musculedda, alternate with the rocks of red porphyry, granite or to the unusual black beach of Coccorocci. The Ogliastra is one of those marvellous places in which, between the mountain and the sea, at every bend we discover a different landscape.

WHERE TO EAT The Provincia Ogliastra provides a list of the restaurants and agriturismi in Ogliastra, comune by comune, and their contact details. Our objective is for you to try typical Ogliastra dishes which are based on meat, cheese and seafood, a cuisine of strong Mediterranean flavours, not particularly refined or elaborate but certainly genuine and tasty. Extra virgin olive oil and fresh tomatoes are used in abundance, while the food contains little animal fat. The eno-gastronomic commodities are what characterise this section of the island: the fish dishes of the Cagliaritano, such as the burrida and the cassola, the olives and the oils of the Parteolla, of changing colours of green to gold, the intense flavours of the different types of cheeses of the Trexenta, famous at a national level, the good quality of citrus fruit of the Sarrabus and the fruit of the Gerrei, all commodities found on the menùs of local restaurants. A world of typical flavours that go from the commodities of the sea to those of the fertile Sardinian lands, to delight the palates of all those that stop by for a taste and to enrich their knowledge and experiences.

Italian.