Tom & Shirley's Page -- 2011 Rome & Sardinia Trip
	Our plan for 2011 was 7 days in Rome {the Eternal City} and 10 days exploring Sardinia {an easy puddle jumper away}.   While in Zakapone the previous year we struck up a conversation with Jacek, owner of the wine bar within B&B Pod Berlami, the place we were staying at.   He highly recommended we try Sardinia.   As an accomplished sailor Jacek painted a lovely picture of the island of Sardinia.   Turned out to be a great choice as there is something for everyone there-stunning beaches, lots of history, friendly people, hills, forests, birds, wild boars and not a lot of American tourists.   And the weather was absolutely perfect!
	Hurricane Irene and airline cancellations shortened our Rome adventure to just four days {one being an arrival day}.   Our Scavi tour was cancelled, as was our Vatican tour as that was our arrival day.   The Colliseum tour planned the next day was cancelled due to a full blown strike.   Luckily we did get to our planned cooking class with Chef Andrea, which was spectacular and we did get out to Ostia Antica, equally as spectacular.   We loved our apartment and the landlord was awesome.   We managed to get to the Trevi and tossed our coins ... seeds were already planted for a return next year with just one destination, Rome.
	Our flight to Sardinia was a breeze. It is a good sized island being about 160 long and 70 miles wide. We grabbed our rental car and enjoyed the views on the winding roads to all our destinations.   We had Arbatax on the east central coast and Alghero on the northwest coast as destinations.
	Arbatax is a small busy port town that turned out to be a great base from which to explore up and down the east coast.   We enjoyed some day trips, great wine, the beach and a terrific dinner at the wonderful hotel up the hill on the outside terrace facing the water.   We stayed five nights at the Lemon House Porto Frailis apartment located in a quiet neighborhood near a decent beach and some pretty good restaurants.   Nice place with all the conveniences we required, laundry, a balcony, parking right in front and an a/c.
	Alghero has a distinctive Catalan character derived from the influence of Pedro IV of Aragon who seized control of the town in the mid-fourteenth century and embarked on an intense period of colonization from Spain.   Despite being a main tourist destination, Alghero manages to retain the natural beauty that draws visitors.   We rented the Catalan flat for five nights, in the center of town but within easy walking distance to the bustling waterfront, with a huge terrace that actually wraps the apartment and offers some nice views.   We really felt like locals here.
	Shirley is the trip notes guru.   Her detailed day-by-day account of this trip is on Fodors titled Trip Report-Rome & Sardinia.   But here are a few of highlights from the Sardinia stay we most enjoyed:
	Exploring the remains of "nuraghi" sites, the stone dwellings and tombs of bronze-age people. These dot the island.
	The Andrea Jensen sailing trip.   We highly recommend this to all.   This is an all day excursion of sailing, sightseeing, and snorkeling.   Or you can just veg out and just relax if you want.   Owners Vivian & Geoff limit the number of people on board so it a very comfortable and relaxing experience.
	Sardinia has a spectacular coastline, with white sand beaches and crystal-clear emerald water, while the interior highlands have a somewhat wild and rugged appeal.   Within a relatively small landmass, Sardinia offers a bit of everything.
	This is a quick summary of our trip to Rome and Sardinia.   Please take a look at a few of the pictures we have posted.   If anyone wants more detail, a full trip report, or info on anything just email us at luvtworoam@yahoo.com.
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Rome

		Doing a bit of Rome planning for our short four day stay		The Forum is always a must see, but had to view from outside due to a strike		The Turtle Fountain in the Jewish Quarter is not the most famous, but our favorite
		Our cooking class at Le Fate resturant in Trastevre was great fun		Cooking class with Chef Andre in the background		The theatre from our day trip to Ostia Antica
		My Shirley enjoying a glass of vino in Ostia Antica resturant

Sardinia

		The coastline near our apartment in Arbatax, Sardinia		Masive red granite rocks. Near our apartment in Arbatax, Sardinia		Many winding and twisting roads in Sardinia, but well maintained
		Typical sheepherds hut located in the Sardinian highland		View on SS125 in Sardinian highlands		Grazing herds of sheep are pretty common, so drive with caution
		The Lighthouse of Capo Caccia near Alghero, Sardinia		Ancient Catapult Defence-Port of Alghero		Nuraghe di Palmavera founded around the fourteenth century BC. It's near Alghero
		We hit the September grape harvest		The pre-nuraghic necropolis of Anghelu Ruju was in use from 3300-1500 BC. Discovered by accident in 1903. It's near Alghero		North west Sardinian coastline around Alghero features spectacular views and dramatic cliffs
		Shirl lending a hand aboard the Andrea Jensen		Me lending a hand aboard the Andrea Jensen		Our Andrea Jensen day was one of the highlights of the trip. We highly recommend
		Day tripping to Bosa. Road hazard!