Sardinia has been on my places to visit wish-list for quite some time; I’ve been watching a Series filmed entirely around the island and I was always fascinated by the beauty of its coasts. Then on the Italian stations there was this marketing advert of a traditional Sardinian beer, Ichnusa, filmed entirely in what I like to describe ‘proper black & white’ accompanied by a catchy song and typical images of the island. This in my opinion is a great way to advertise a traditional product and publicising the country traditions. The name of the beer Ichnusa comes from the word ichnos meaning human footprint and is also the old name given to the island by the ancient Greeks due to the shape of a human footprint.

Sardinia is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, with an area of 24,100 square kilometres and a population of 1.6 million. Sardinia is 77 times bigger than Malta with only three times the population.

We arrived at Cagliari airport, and we then drove up North to the locations we planned to visit. One of the first locations visited was in Masua, I had in mind to shoot the Scoglio di Pan di Zucchero, which is a natural Sea-stack some distance away from the coast. Here I managed to find some interesting frames in optimal weather. During the early hours before sunset of the same day, we drove to Chiaramonti to visit the ruins of a 13th century Castle – Il Castello dei Doria, this is located on a plateau circa 465 meters high overlooking the whole town. The peace and quiet atmosphere in this place is magical, with the wind blowing between the tree branches and the birds singing, I wish it was close to home, I would spend hours sitting in meditation.

Another beautiful location I planned to visit Capo Ferro in Porto Cervo, I’ve seen images of the lighthouse on the internet, and I listed it as one of the important places to visit. The lighthouse is a bit difficult to find, but after a few obstacles and walking on private land, we found it, the view is incredible, this lighthouse can only be reached by foot walking on a tiny path. We arrived early in the morning and the midges were eating us alive, but it was all worth it.

Sardinia surely left a footprint in my heart, and I will surely revisit soon when the travel bans have been lifted, maybe next time I’ll plan a longer stay to visit more of this beautiful gem.

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