Sardinia in May Saturday in Olbia

 On Saturday we go to Olbia, which we visited last year but in too much of a hurry. In Olbia too there’s the market, so we buy some cheese and look at the other stalls, and pop into the nearby Lidl for some focaccia and other bits and pieces for lunch.

To eat, we go to the Park which seems popular, lots of people walking and doing sports activities. As I park I squash and break a bottle which had been left in the gutter which worries us a little but fortunately it seems that no harm has been done to the tyre. It’s cool and pleasant in the park. A good place for a picnic in the shade because the sun in May is getting stronger and stronger.

After lunch, we move the car to the car park  along the port near the archaeological museum. It’s about one o’clock and the car park is full. Only a very patient wait for somebody leaving secures us a space but at least it’s free. It’s not the best time of day for a stroll along the waterfront. It’s hot and the sun is fierce, but we go anyway. This area is quite recent and is a pleasant place for a walk at a different time of day/the year. 

There are a few people strolling or sitting. We also stop for coffee before heading for the old centre of Olbia. The San Simplicio church seems to have been planted by helicopter: its simple rustic beauty surrounded by a bare square with a few red geraniums and a little green grass and the grittier part of Olbia. 

From there we wander the main pedestrian area, full of flower vases and bars and gelaterie and resturants, all busy with people, go past the other church of San Paolo and various other religious buildings which we visited last time and are now closed for lunch. Then we walk back along the lungomare towards the port and back to the car. 

Our day in Olbia finishes prosaically at the Conad shopping centre where we stock up on food, and then it’s a quick drive back along the superstrada, there’s practically nobody around and in about half an hour we are back at the villetta in Budoni to relax.

Santa Teresa Gallura in May Trip Report