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Final Reflection

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Last night, I concluded a run to watch the sunset from the top of Monte Urpinu park with my daily indulgence : gelato from Gocce di Gelato e Cioccolato.  (Sunset from the top of Monte Urpinu) As I devoured my gelato (blackberry and dairy-free chocolate in a cone) on a bench in Piazza del Carmine, an elderly Sardinian man named Pierre, having noticed me around town, approached me and asked if he could take a seat. We proceeded to have an hour-long conversation in Italian!   Talking to Pierre prompted me to reflect on the past few weeks of adventure and new experiences.  We spoke of many things: from our world travels, to more localized topics, such as the beautiful beaches of the island, Sardinian food & history, our favorite places in Cagliari, public transit, etc.  Pertaining to our conversation, the following are some of my favorite places in the Cagliari area. (Cala Figuera Beach) (San Benedetto & Castello) (Piz...
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Barbagia

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This past weekend, the group went on an excursion to Barbagia, a mountainous region in inner Sardinia. We stopped in Mamoiada to go to the Mediterranean mask museum, where we gained a better understanding of the craft of traditional mask making. The masks on display were reminiscent of those we saw at the Sagra della Pardule festival in Silius last weekend. Each mask is hand carved, unique and imbued with a sense of anguish. Some of the traditional garb include bells with sheep bones that produce varied sounds. Afterwards, we had lunch with shepherds. We were served several rounds of meats and cheeses typical of the region. (Suckling pig crackling over an open pit) (The endless refills of wine made me a bit tipsy by the time we got to Orgosolo) Subsequently, we went to Orgosolo, a small town famous for its politically charged murals that express social discontent and solidarity. There was insufficient time to see all of the towns 1500 murals. The town has att...
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Waste to Energy (WtE) Site Visit

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For the third site visit, we visited the largest waste to energy (WtE) plant in Sardinia. In addition to WtE, the site has composting, wastewater treatment (WWT) and hazardous waste treatment facilities. The process engineer in charge of composting plant gave us a tour.    According to him, the site strictly follows EU directives given its proximity to the surrounding lagoons, a protected area. The plant was built on an elevated zone surrounded by a plastic membrane below to intercept, collect and treat any liquid that could potentially leave the site. The organic fraction goes from the receiving area to active composting to refinement to a maturing phase. There are two streams: one for food waste and another for yard. The organic fraction is debagged, mixed in the right proportion and the brought by conveyor belt to begin the active stage. The composting facility has 15 cells: 4m wide, 2.5 m tall and 100 m long with the capacity to contain 250 tons of mixture. R...
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Life in Cagliari

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Life in Cagliari has been abound with adventure! Every day, my palette expands as I try flavors I could never have before imagined. One of my favorite food discoveries has been in the San Benedetto market. Past the produce in a far back corner of the market, a Sicilian couple serves some of the best arancini and cannoli i've ever tasted! Most memorable was the arancini alla norma: a mixture of eggplant and ricotta salata enveloped by a deep-fried creamy risotto. (Arancini alla Norma: San Benedetto Market) (Pistachio Cannoli: San Benedetto Market) In Piazza del Carmine, I found the most amazing gelato at Gocce du Gelato e Cioccolato, which surpassed all previous gelato I've consumed on this trip. Despite not containing milk, the ice cream achieved a rich ganache flavor that stirred memories of my first trip to Italy. (Tiramisu & Ciocolatto Senza Latte: Gocce du Gelato e Cioccolato) Craving seafood pasta one night, but unable to get into the always pa...
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