Isola San Pietro Day Ride - Springtime Spin in Sardinia 2019 - CycleBlaze

June 8, 2019

Isola San Pietro Day Ride

Our legs were telling us they needed a break so today we planned a short unloaded tour of the south part of the island. It turned out to be just what our bodies needed, a relaxed ride on low traffic roads over gently rolling terrain with a couple of gorgeous beaches thrown in.

I will let the pictures tell the rest of the story.

This historic diagram was in our hotel. It shows the traditional method of tuna fishing in Carloforte, which is still practised today. They think it was developed by the Phoenicians. The tuna season is short and once its closed, they start dreaming of next year’s season.
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Our hotel had a nice terraced garden with some interesting plants. 

Nicely woven trunk.
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Another unknown plant.
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Strelitzia nicolai, Giant Bird of Paradise.
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Leslie Rogers-WarnockLooks like a type of bird of paradise.
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Anne MathersTo Leslie Rogers-WarnockYes, it’s a bionic version.
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The bees were loving the nectar from this huge flower.
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The hotel staff was not happy with us bringing our bikes inside overnight so we decided to try a different B&B for our second night. After a leisurely breakfast at our hotel, we wandered up to the B&B, dropped off our panniers and headed out on our tour.

You will always hear if a car is coming on these cobbled roads.
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Our B&B for the second night was at the top of the city near the intact wall that was built pre-emptively against attacks that never materialized.
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Plenty of character in these old buildings.
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Stores have next to no signage (this one is comparatively bold), so you have to have eagle eyes to find them. Their entrances are small but inside they can be quite large.
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Patty BarronHaha, love the line-up, of bikes & motocyclettes. 🚲🚲🏍🏍🛵🏍 🛴?
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Carloforte’s saline and salt pans are a bird sanctuary.
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Flamingos couldn’t live without these shallow ponds. These particular flamingos are huge and have black tips on their feathers making them a beautiful sight in flight.
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Spaggia La Caletta.
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Yes, it was hard to not jump in. I didn’t expect the water to be warm enough to swim, but it certainly was. Sardinians are waders so few people swim at these gorgeous beaches.
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The water is crystal clear.
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I didn’t want to leave this beach.
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Spaggia La Bobba.
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We returned to Carloforte along the coastal road where the flamingos were close enough that we could see how they get their food: they do the 2-step in a complete circle, stirring up the critters hiding in the mud. They were all doing it!
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Carloforte is a small but vibrant city with a relaxed island vibe. You must come here if you visit Sardinia.
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This piazza is quiet in the early afternoon, but quite the opposite from 5:00 onward. It’s where the kids come out to play soccer, hide and seek and ride their bikes.
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Ferry service is frequent to the mainland of Sardinia.
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This harbour was just for the fishing boats...they are loaded with character.
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These are a traditional style. Boat building is one of the trades Carloforte is known for.
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It is quite common for a street to include sections with steps.
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Typical street, with small balconies on the first floor.
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Notice how small the streets are. People manage to get along as they move through the city no matter if they are walking, cycling, motorcycling or driving in any type of vehicle. Clogs are frequent and expected so few people get uptight about it.
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There had been a wedding. These two cuties must have been part of the wedding party.
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The ferry unloads and sucks up another batch of cars smack in the centre of town about every 40 minutes..
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Caprese has been our go-to salad in Sardinia. It is always different and delicious.
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Restaurants spill out onto the streets at night.
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The bride and groom had wedding photos taken here earlier in the day. We would have taken a photo but for the person in the grasshopper green t-shirt sitting right in the middle of the steps infront of the beautiful couple.
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Night street scene, as we strolled back to our B&B at the top of the hill.
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Patty BarronCool little vehicles, they look like a cousin of our Smart car! 🚗
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Today's ride: 24 km (15 miles)
Total: 1,172 km (728 miles)

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Patty BarronWhat a scenic island! Really must be a beautiful place to visit & tour!
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