Porto Cervo, Sardinia — Ancient legend tells that way back in 1961, the Aga Kahn was aimlessly wandering the Mediterranean in his yacht and stumbled across the picture perfect bay of Porto Cervo. He liked it, he bought it, he built a luxury resort on it and the coastal culture of Sardinia would never be the […]
Oliena, Sardinia — Here in Oliena, it seems that the femina agabbodora have modernized. Apparently, “a sharp tap on the head with the hammer” just doesn’t cut it anymore. I have always heard that Oliena is Sardina’s true spiritual heart, the village where the Sard’s independent, quarrelsome and reclusive nature is most strongly on display. Yes […]
Luras, Sardinia — We checked into a lovely, isolated B&B the other night, Lonely Planet recommendation, very nice, my compliments. While chatting with the owner, she said that we might want to check out the Museo Etnografico Galluras in Luras. I have to say that they have one of the most unusual exhibits there that we […]
The Gallura, Sardinia — My Goodness. Was it just yesterday that I was sitting in traffic, raging in Sartene? Indeed it was and today has been a stark and comforting reminder that things can also go well. This morning we made our first foray into the Sardinian countryside and from that first kilometer forward we basically […]
Bonifacio, Corsica — I think that we both hit a low point today. I know that a lot of people envy us for having a job that demands that we cruise around Europe, looking for extraordinary locales, enjoyable exercise, unforgettable meals and pampering lodging. I mean, how grueling can that be? The goal of our Corsican […]
Zonza, Corsica — Someone out there has to be asking why a blog about walking in Europe is spending so much time talking about road conditions. Here’s the scoop. Somewhere down the road (excuse the pun), we hope to distill the essence of Corsica into a week of tranquil walking, spectacular scenery, pungent cheeses and personal […]
Central Corsica, France — There’s that old country western tune, “40 Miles of Bad Road,” and just in case you wondered where it was located, it’s right here in Central Corsica. And, it’s more like 60. Our guidebook recommends bringing detailed maps and a lot of patience to a Corsican journey. They don’t need to tell you […]
L’Ile Rousse, Corsica — There are two types of settlements in northern Corsica: the sun bleached, hard to get to kind and the sun drenched, colorful coastal kind. Sun bleached and hard to get to are the hilltop villages of the Balagne. From a distance they are hard to spot. They blend into their rocky surroundings […]
Chiavenna, Italy — My apologies. As you may have noticed, nothing’s been posted for the last couple of weeks. It is not that there was nothing of interest to note. In fact, quite the opposite. Traveling the hidden corners of Corsica and Sardinia, it swiftly became apparent that wireless Internet access is a mainland phenomenon. One […]
Foret de Calenzana, Corsica — After roaming for a few days in northern Corsica, one thing seems very clear: Corsicans have difficulty understanding the term “forest.” According to our map, we are immersed in the middle a forest at the trailhead of one of France’s most famous hiking trails, the Grande Route 20. According to my optical […]