Day 5 Arbatax Explore Sardinia Barbagia • Countryside farm lunch Folk culture discoveries

Destination: Sardinia
Meals included: B L D
Accommodations: M/V Clio

Activity Note: Today’s activities include an approximately 3-hour round trip drive to and from Arbatax.

Breakfast: Onboard the ship.

Morning: Drive with your Trip Experience Leader to the quaint village of Orgosolo, where we'll take part in a walking tour and engage with locals there.

Then, drive into the Barbagia countryside, Sardinia’s remote and rustic heartland, where the insular locals stick to old traditions that can be traced back to prehistoric times. We’ll then get to know the people of the Barbagia, and learn more about their old and isolated culture, with strong ties to sheep herding and farming. Even today, in the more secluded villages, many locals will only speak Sardinian, rather than Italian (or English) and dress in traditional outfits. In some cases, we may even encounter widows that have been dressed in black mourning garb for 20 or 30 years. It’s a culture that has deliberately closed itself off from the outside world for a long time—in fact, as late as the 1980s, there have been instances of wealthy travelers to the region who have been kidnapped by local bandits in exchange for ransom money.

Today, however, the people are receptive to travelers. When we share lunch with a local shepherd family, they’ll welcome us in to show us their enduring ties to this traditional way of life.

Lunch: Enjoy lunch and conversation with the shepherd family, learning more about their day-to-day life.

Afternoon: We’ll drive into the Mamoiada area to get another glimpse into the ancient culture of Sardinia during a meeting with a local group dedicated to keeping the folk culture alive. We'll learn how this folkloric custom celebrates its agricultural and sheep herding traditions with singing, dancing, heavy fur-lined costumes adorned with bells and masks.

Then, we bid farewell to our Barbagian hosts, and drive back to Arbatax, where our ship awaits.

Dinner: Onboard the ship.

Evening: At leisure. During your free time aboard, you may choose to relax at the ship’s bar or take in the views from the window-lined discovery lounge. 

12/15/24