SARDINIEN: der Norden | Travelogue: Teil 2 #Hannsimglueck

So far, my journey through the north of the second largest Mediterranean island has shown me an island that could hardly be more varied in terms of landscape. The centuries-old history, characterized by great powers and conquests, everywhere in Sardinia you can still find witnesses of this moving past. In this episode I go further into the past and explore the mysterious remains of a millennia-old culture. I travel through the inner Galora up to the oldest olive trees in Europe. I visit Castelsado, one of the most impressive places in Sardinia, and walk through the alleys of Olbia. Come with me to the north of Sardinia. My journey takes me behind the millionaire coast of the Costa Esmeralda to the inner Galora, to Arzacena. Actually, Arzacena was once a poor shepherd's village. Until the 1960s, the area behind Galora was sold to international investors, and since then the shepherds have come here to the Hungarian wealth. The small mountain town is the perfect starting point for a journey through the rural Galora, a region that is as impressive as it is varied. The city is embedded between mountain ranges in the middle of the rocky landscape. Despite the international investment in the region, Arzacena has kept its atmosphere. I start my journey on a Wednesday, and for a good reason. Every Wednesday there is a weekly market in the winding alleys. There is not only souvenirs and cheap tourist goods. The offer is mainly regional. The farmers sell vegetables and fruit here. There are fresh fish and, not to be forgotten, the Sardinian cheese. The small, winding old town of Arzacena is still typically Sardinian compared to my previous trips, and is definitely worth a visit. But not only Arzacena is worth a visit, but also the hilly landscape around Galora. Only a few kilometers away is the idyllic center of Galora, the granite city of Tempio Pausania. Even if it is not so open to tourism, you should not expect any sights here, but the charm is simply the houses made of pure granite, the alleys and the cafes. Founded in Roman times, Tempio Pausania still holds its historical past. I was particularly impressed by the old town. The unpolished granite houses are truly worth seeing. The heart of the city is clearly located here, in the middle of the alleys and old walls. But Galora has even more to offer. In the middle of the granite rocks and extensive birch forests, something old, very old, persists. The oldest olive trees on the island. Maybe even the oldest in all of Italy. A normal olive tree usually reaches an age of between 300 and 600 years. The true age of living trees is hard to estimate, but researchers assume that the age of the trees here is 1,000 to 4,000 years.