Living in the Zone

This was the day I had been waiting for since arriving in Sardinia, and it was exactly how I had hoped it would be!

I woke up extra early because I had to drive about 15 km to meet our tour guide, Simone’. I had already learned that a 15 km drive could take between thirty minutes and an hour depending on the difficulty of the roads. I wore my hiking boots and carried a small backpack with water and necessities just in case the trail up the Supramonte was more difficult than described. I arrived at the meeting point (on the side of a road in a small village) right on time, and ended up waiting for about twenty minutes for Simone’ and the rest of the group to arrive. Once everyone arrived, we packed into the off-road vehicle and headed out for an adventure!

Our first stop was the cool and interesting necropolis of Madau, where we visited four giants’ tombs that told of the cult of the dead of the Nuragic civilization. The tombs have been preserved in nearly perfect condition. According to legend, Sardinia was once home to a race of giants. People who support this theory point to the huge size of the stones used on the burial grounds. Archaeologists argue that only the tombs are giant, but the bodies buried at the site were of average human size. The mystery doesn’t just stop at the size of the bodies buried. There are also mysteries about the rituals of the burials. Many tombs of giants are oriented toward the Taurus constellation and point to the brightest star in the sky. On the days of the Equinoxes, the light of the rising sun enters directly into the tomb corridor through a small opening on the stele.

We departed the tombs to travel to the forest of Montes, one of the wildest but most beautiful areas of the Supramonte. We parked the vehicle and took a short hike that allowed us to reach the top of Monte Novo S. Giovanni, at 1316 m high, a real natural monument with spiers that go up to 70 meters high. On the way up, we familiarized ourselves with the wild herbs growing on the trail. Our guide explained that the herbs grow wild everywhere in the area and are still collected by locals and used for a variety of things such as cooking, extracting essential oils, and medicine. From the top, we were able to view the beauty of the immense expanse of the forest.

Our lunch was at what is called in the Sardinian language “Su Pinnetu”, which is the traditional sheepfold of the shepherd surrounded by a wood of millenary holm oaks. The meal consisted of foods made by the shepherd and his family, which offered us the opportunity to taste some typical dishes of the pastoral tradition such as the renowned pecorino cheese, smoked ricotta, and traditional cured meats such as pancetta and sausage, boiled sheep and roast suckling pig. Lunch was accompanied by the famous Cannonau wine and ended with an excellent homemade myrtle and “Filu ‘e Ferru”, the Sardinian brandy.

As I learned during my visit to the farm, the Sardinian shepherds rarely eat meat unless it is for special occasions or celebrations. Their diets are mostly plant-based (with vegetables they grow) with bread and cheese made from grass-fed goat’s milk. They do drink a small glass of Cannonau wine with lunch and dinner. Cannonau is made from the most popular grape variety in Sardinia, is full of antioxidants, and has three times the number of flavonoids (which keep the arteries clear and prevent disease) compared to other wines. On this particular day, although the shepherds were not having wine and meat, they made sure that their visitors left with full bellies! We barely had time to sip the wine before someone was there to refill our cups!

During lunch, we were entertained by a few of the men singing the traditional songs of the shepherds. Cantu a Tenore is an ancient type of Sardinian music created by shepherds during long moments of isolation watching over their sheep. The music is about life and nature and the difficulty of working alone in the wilderness. The sound is unique, and its vibrations find a way to move through you. Although I didn’t know what the words to the songs were, it was enchanting to listen to the men making music and singing.