Day 4 in Sardinia - beach time!

I had such a nice ride over to the beach in Orosei today. The weather was beautiful and it was fun to remember last year's ride through the lovely hillside town of Dorgali, where last year I learned that you need to find the German motorcyclists if you want to lunch with protein. From Dorgali, the descent to the beach featured a beautiful, freshly paved one lane road that offered a wonderful vista of the sea as it came into view.

Once at the beach, I had a a not-great prosciutto, spreaded cheese and eggplant sandwich. Too much bread. But they made up for it with and outstanding and pretty peach tart. Why did I forget to take a photo of the it - maybe I was just hungry?

Or maybe I was distracted by the cat?

The directions continuing on from the beach said to cross a small section of sand to continue the ride. Definitely hike-a-bike territory without a mountain bike, but only a 100 yards of walking. Score one for riding with mountain bike shoes! 

After the path crested a hill, it was just a lumpy gravel road before descending into a parking lot that I exited via a very lumpy paved road. Eventually, things smoothed out and it was a very pretty ride back into the mountains. Before getting back to Orgosolo, I stopped in Nuoro for some gelato. It was hot out, so I opted for some fruit flavors, and it just felt like the perfect way to stave off the heat for a few minutes.

For dinner, I finally went to Su Gologone, which has been much recommended this year and last by Maria who hosts the B&B Peonia. I was super hungry after the ride, so in retrospect, I made the mistake of having a small panini snack soon after I arrived back in Orgosolo. Three hours later, I was seated at Su Gologone outside of Oliena.

The grounds for the hotel that enclosed the restaurant reminded me of a Sardinian version of San Ysidro Ranch in Montecito. It was so thoughtfully laid out with so many plants everywhere and buildings in good condition but seemed to have been there forever, that it ended up having a very luxurious and inviting atmosphere. The restaurant was no different with at least 3 dozen reasonably spaced tables that were in pleine air, but protected from the elements by a roof that at first looked shabby but upon closer inspection was pretty well made and probably offers great protection from the elements.

The crowd at the restaurant was wealthy mix of Americans, Europeans and even a couple Asian families. All the waitstaff spoke English and it felt like Tokyo DMM - where all the tourists are hanging out. I was surprised when I saw foodprices. Considering the clientele and the 500€ per night starting rate at the hotel, they could easily charge twice as much and no one seated would have even thought about raising an eyebrow. Although the crowd was not exactly what I was expecting - tlmore Americans seated for a Sunday dinner service that I had seen in a full month in Sardinia last year - the food was also not was I expected, but it a great way.

Their roasted pork was the best pork I think I’ve ever had. I could not believe how flavorful and juicy it was and how crunchy it was on the outside. The only mistake I made was neglecting to retrieve the pork leftovers when leaving Orgosolo.  😢

The fact that the idea of a raw zucchini salad even with good Sardinian pecornio was on the menu was immediately forgiven upon trying the pork. 

I should have given myself a more cavernous appetite before diners due to the aforementioned panini, so I wasn’t able to finish the entire meal. But finishing the meal was not nearly as important as simply being present to an amazing pork preparation. What a great way to end the day!