November is really one of the least appealing months to travel in Europe but I had to take my last five official holiday days of this year. Destination Sardinia was pretty much coincidental. In the summer I listened to an episode on the Sardinian kitchen (guests: gardener Luigi Pitzalis, his son Samuele Pitzalis and Leonardo Pacenti, chef restaurant Toscanini) on my favourite radio programma Mangiare! and the words ‘Sardijnse keuken’ stuck in my mind.

The airplane touched down at Cagliari Elmas Airport at three o’ clock in the afternoon. The next day it was raining. I drove from the capital Cagliari to the province of Oristano on the west coast. On the way to my bed and breakfast in Oristano I took a long detour into the hills of Montiferru to have lunch in Agriturismo Montiferru.

The province of Oristano is home to Tharros, a very ancient city. Once said to be founded by the Phoenicians, but recent findings direct the origins to a much older nuragic settlement. Not much is known about this Bronze Age culture. All there is left are roughly seven thousand of Nuraghe, tower like structures. After the Phoenicians, the Punics and the Romans settled in Tharros. In 1070 the city was relocated to modern Oristano under the pressure of Saracen raiders. Many stones from Tharros were re-used in the city of Oristano.

When standing on the ruins of Tharros it is easy to see the appeal of the location, but also its vulnerability. Many of the artefacts can be found in the Archaeological Museum at Cagliari, in the Antiquarium Arborense in Cabras and in the British Museum, London. The two columns were rebuilt in modern times. The temple area has both Punic and Roman ruins and the original position of the columns is not clear. The most visible symbol of Tharros is a modern interpretation. The capital on top of one of the columns is original though.

On that November Monday morning I was the only vistor of Tharros. This was both a blessing and - somewhat - lonely. What else was there to do but look past the ruins and stare at the golfu de Aristanis? Tharros felt like paradise but like all prosperous cities of the past, the streets were eventually soaked in blood before being abandoned.

Cabras

Less that 15 minutes from Oristano is the coastal town Cabras on the Stagno di Cabras, a lake connected to the sea. Cabras was also founded by people fleeing from Tharros in the 11th century and resettling on the shore of the lake.

Bottarga di muggine

Cabras is famous for bottarga, dried and cured fish roe from grey mullet (muggine). If the bottarga is of lighter hue, you can slice it and eat it on bread, if the bottarga is dark and dried for a longer time, you can grate is over a pasta dish, like spaghetti con vongole e bottarga.

Due to the season all trattoria in Cabras were closed. I found a small restaurant open, hardly a trattoria. They did offer fresh fish off the menu. Orate is the Italian name for gilt-head (sea) bream (Sparus aurata), or goudbrasem in Dutch. The fish was poached for me in white wine with olives and tomatoes.