First Glimpse in the Daylight…

Just. Wow. Ulassai is a village seated between some very dramatic rock formations. Tiny cobblestone streets that are so narrow you can’t imagine cars drive on them but somehow everyone figures it out.

One thing we’ve learned about less touristy European towns is that sometimes it’s difficult to find open cafes and restaurants or markets, and when you do, the hours may be very limited. Ulassai is no different. Arriving late on a Saturday evening/Sunday morning there were few options except for pre-made foods, instant coffee and beers. We made do with sweet croissants from the local internet cafe where we met Giulia, a climber from Bologna who was working and climbing in Ulassai for the summer. She was super helpful in getting us a bit of beta on what to do on a Sunday when everything is closed. We ate our croissants, drank our coffee and went to climb.

For dinner we tried to make our way to a restaurant only to find that the restaurant part was closed on Sundays and we were limited to bar food. The staff hooked us up with some snacks, beer, and we bought a can of illy coffee for the percolator/moka pot for the morning.

One observation so far — It’s amazing how many people smoke here… not inside, but outside every table had an ashtray and it seemed everyone but the tiny elderly women smoke! Not sure how this plays into the blue zone equation, maybe if Sardinians didn’t smoke they’d live to 150.

Our house is a comfortable 3 bedroom apartment with a glorious view of the one main crags, Torre de Venti and the Mediterranean off to far left. Right underneath the crag is the main plaza of Piazza Barigau, with a mini football pitch and playground next to the Piazza. Dogs, pigs, sheep and goat bells, and the occasional braying donkey provide a near constant but distant drone during the day. They do quiet down at night time. Church bells remind us of the time, with two strikes every half hour.

*Maria Lai artist Information