Waves of occupation by the Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Byzantines, and Romans instilled a culture of fierce independence.
There, a pastoral heritage took root and flourished, and Sardinia became a land of shepherds.
But unlike those bygone marauders, I had no plans for conquest.
From left: Hikers descending juniper-branch ladders on the Selvaggio Blu; a hiker navigates the craggy limestone cliffs along the Selvaggio Blu.Rikki Felderer/Courtesy of Dolomite Mountains
My agenda was to walk in the footsteps of the herders who spent centuries blazing trails through this landscape.
The Orosei bears little resemblance to Costa Smeralda, the swank seaside playground just a 90-minute drive north.
Craning my neck, I considered the massive outcrop and wondered how he expected us to scale it.
Michele Barbiero (seated), a guide with Dolomite Mountains, at the agriturismo Ovile Bertarelli.Rikki Felderer/Courtesy of Dolomite Mountains
Thick maquis shrubs punctuated by oleander, prickly pear, and yellow broom blanketed the otherwise arid terrain.
From time to time precipitous rock faces and craggy overhangs impeded our progress.
“The shepherds know their goats by the bells,” Barbiero told me.
“If an animal gets lost, they follow the sound.”
The small wooden spindles are put into the baby goats' mouths to help with weaning.
The kids, once weaned, are transitioned to hay and pasture.
“(there’s a hole in the pitcher!
Heavy wooden tables with platters of antipasti filled the space.
“This is the most authentic part ofSardinia,” Palimodde said, passing me a plate of pecorino.
“Our traditions have survived because we are deep in the countryside.
Outside influences haven’t been able to reach us here.”
As if to illustrate her point, a quartet entered the courtyard and began to sing.
The sound was unlike anything I’d ever heard a haunting, poetic polyphony calledcantu a tenore.
A version of this story first appeared in the June 2022 issue ofTravel + Leisureunder the headlineWalk This Way.
