Likely Destinations On Your Western Mediterranean Cruise

Sardinia, the smallest island of the two, has been a recent discovery. We spent a few days last year in the northernmost part of Sardinia. Costa Smeralda in the north of the island is one of those destinations where the 1% spend their vacations. During the height of summer, you can almost walk across the emerald-colored bay just by jumping from yacht to yacht. There are countless villas and cottages and the landscape is stunningly beautiful. And expensive.

This year we were fortunate to have a stop-over in Cagliari, situated in the very south of the island. Trains and a highway traverse the island from south to the north into Olbia and the Costa Smeralda, but given the size of the island, it’s not something you do in a single day. So we were looking forward to our visit to Cagliari.

Not just Cagliari, but all of Sardinia is comparatively wealthy. That becomes very obvious when you contrast this autonomous region to other parts of southern Italy, particularly if you’ve been to Sicily (more about that later.) Cagliari is a very clean city and public services seem to work well. Prices are higher than in many other parts of the country.

Sardinia isn’t just rich in monetary terms: inhabited since at least 12,000 BC, the island has seen many empires come and go: Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans, Vandals, Goths, Byzantines, Sicilians, etc. Through history, the locals have developed their own distinct culture, with a language that differs significantly from Italian, and an amazing cuisine. Have a look at my previous article on Sardinia for more details. 

Being LGBT in Italy is still a bit of a “thing”, even more so in the south. I recall talking to a young gay man in Naples a couple of years ago and his heart-breaking story. In this very Catholic country, being open wasn’t a given, despite civil unions being available since 2016. There are still pockets in society when a young man or woman coming out might not just lead to being ostracized by their family, but could potentially lead to an honor killing. Sardinia may not be Naples, and as a tourist, you needn’t fear anything, but I’d suggest displaying any PDAs discreetly. There are a couple of gay bars and a night club in Cagliari. As these venues change names and addresses unexpectedly, I suggest you look them up as you prepare for your trip.

The south of Italy boasts some of the best wines in Italy, with the abundant sun and the rich earth providing perfect conditions for grapes exploding with flavor. About an hour’s drive west of Cagliari, you’ll find the town of Santadi and the local winery Cantina Santadi. They produce some of the country’s best wines. The grapes used include big names such as Sangiovese , Carignano or Cabernet , but also local varieties such as Nuragus and Nasco .

If you sail to Sicily, chances are you’ll dock in Palermo, Sicily’s capital city. But you might also arrive in Catania or Messina. We recently got to spend a day in Palermo, and the contrast to Cagliari is striking. There is less money in Sicily (about two-thousand Euros less in GDP per capita), but I dare to say that there is also a fair share of cultural differences.

Leave the main streets and you’ll see trash on the streets in ways you don’t see in Sardinia or the northern parts of Italy. Try to not let that ruin your day as Palermo is a very interesting city. Unlike Cagliari, it is not nestled against and around a hill but is surrounded by mountains. The approach in the morning is spectacular.

If you’re interested in European history, Palermo has quite some stories to tell. Did you know that there are two family factions still embroiled in who’s the legitimate heir to the defunct throne of Palermo (and Sicily?) There’s an interesting article on Wikipedia on the topic. The current “royal family” can date its origins back to French king Louis XIV. The Royal Castle is in the old town and open to visitors.

Yet Sicily’s history is older than the Sun King’s and has many parallels to that of Sardinia because many of the rulers were the same: Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans, etc. Traces of humans date back to 8,000 BC. And like Sardinia, you can’t take in the entire island in one day. Given its size, you’d need weeks. 

Let me just name drop a couple of wines: Marsala and Nero d’Avola . Nuff said. Sicily IS wine country and you if you like wine, there’s plenty to discover here.

There is a gay sauna in the city (not visited, so I can’t tell you what it’s like) and there is a venue for the LGBT community to meet, called EXIT. We had arrived in Palermo the week after Pride and were surprised by the many rainbow stickers and flyers still everywhere. But don’t let that fool you. Palermo and Sicily, more than Sardinia, are very conservative and ripe with a culture oozing machismo. Keep that in mind. Our little gay family attracted zero attention, as usual when we travel, but on the other hand, we don’t hold hands in public, regardless of where we are. Not worth the risk.

I’ll be honest: I love Cagliari. As a Swiss, the cleanliness of the city, the fact that churches and palaces are meticulously maintained, appealed to me. But I would not go so far and say that I disliked Palermo. It is a city of great beauty and charm, you just have to dig a little deeper, see past the trashy streets and the derelict palaces. Palermo, and by extension Sicily, are cheaper than Cagliari and Sardinia, so if you’re staying a bit longer, that might be worth your consideration.