Day 5 was a day dedicated to the gods of serpentine roads and jaw dropping vistas. We set a southerly course to explore the city of Dorgali and the seaside towns of Cala Gonone and Santa Maria Navarrese. We had to laugh as we decended into Cala Gonone. The map indicated multiple hairpin turns. Based on the previous subtlety of the map regarding curves, we were prepared for the ride of our lives. Ironically, this road did not prove anymore curvaceous than the previous kilometers which had been represented with essentially straight lines. Arriving safely at the port, we strolled along the jetty, constructed of leftovers from the nearby granite quarry. We found a spot for lunch and enjoyed the view of the sea and passing boats. Gazing up the coast, we could see a trail that appeared to lead to a grotto within walking distance. Fortified by our al fresco snack, we proceeded to the beginning of the trail. Initially, the walking was quite easy as the trail was basically paved. A little further on we were navigating an assortment of rock from volcanic to granite as we headed towards our grotto goal. We enjoyed the interesting patterns the wind and sea had formed in the rocky shore. When we arrived at our destination however, it was a bit underwhelming. The depth and breadth of the cavern appeared larger from a distance. The walk provided an opportunity to stretch our legs before resuming our quest to find any length of straight pavement longer than 50 meters. The 60 km from Dorgali to Santa Maria Navarrese did not disappoint in terms of scenic beauty and ubiquitous curves. Luckily, we had pulled out to admire the view when a trio of motorcycles zoomed by taking the upcoming blind corner at an extremely acute angle. The Italian road engineers could likely design a solution to maintaining Hwy 20 as a year round through way, based on the size of the single sided tunnel we navigated on our mountainous journey. Whether their main objective was to keep the cattle, goats or boulders off the highway, we appreciated the opportunity to avoid all three. By the time we reached SMN, we had nearly exhausted the contents of our eight gallon fuel tank and were a bit nervous about the operating hours of the "stazione benzina". Fortunately, we were able to coast into the station and through pantomime and a bit of maneuvering the Fiat (hint: don't pull up to the tank marked service, even if it's on the self service side of the stazione if you want to pump your own gas.) were able to fill the tank and head back up the highway. This time we took the four lane "superstrada" which was pretty dang straight yet a bit alarmingly, still had signs alerting to possible cattle in the roadway. We managed to avoid that hazard and made it home to Cannigione in time for a lovely meal with our new best friends at the Cotton Club.
Day 6 was a day to relax before traveling the following day. We started the day by sleeping in. Always a good first step. Eventually, we got up and decided to take the half hour walk into town. We did a little window shopping, tried to go to the post office (closes at 12:30), and made the mandatory gelateria pit stop. Picking up a few things to round out dinner, we walked back home and relaxed from such a busy day. Later, Sherrie fixed a nice dinner and then we drove back to the Cotton Club for one last dessert at our favorite restaurant.
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