The little village of Nebida nestled on the hillside between the sea and the mountains is one of my favourite places in this area.
At the heart of the village is another favourite, the bar/cafè/pizzeria Oasi. Not much to look at from the outside, a sign over the door saying ‘Oasi’ on it and 3 sets of red tables and chairs outside, but don’t let looks deceive you.
Oasi in Nebida is a fabulous place for coffee (their pastries are superb) particularly if one can sit outside on the bright red chairs. Hidden from the strong afternoon sun in the summer, with the views of the mountains rising above Nebida. Some cars and people bustling back and forth, sometimes an Apiscedda (the Sardinian name of the three wheeled little vehicle based on the scooter). Sometimes a few people or a shepherd walks past, walking slightly forward bent after years of climbing the hills and the mountains.
Here one can sit in silence and just look at life go by. It is peace and tranquility even with traffic going by on the road.
In the evenings, Oasi serve dinner and in the summer they have a great pizza menu!
and of course – pizza!
In Italy, real pizza is the thin, doughy type, not the thick American type with more filling than base. The Italians go the other way, more base than filling. Therefore; I discovered that the taste and texture of the pizza base (or dough) is what, in my opinion, mainly what makes a pizza good. I’m by far not an expert on pizza, but I have munched my way through some during my Sardinian time.
One of the best is the one they serve at Oasi. Crisp, and dry on the underside, with some deliciously burnt parts on both the side and the bottom. Pockets of air trapped into the dough and cooked at high heat making the dough go super crisp. It tastes of earth and Italian flour, pure and simple, but totally divine. And if you can eat it under the dark blue Sardinian sky after the sun sets, it tasts even better. Even if you sit on plastic chairs outside almost on the Nebida car park, it is still the best pizza I’ve ever had. That with a glass of Sardinia’s Vermentino or Cannonau wine and you’re onto something truly magical.
A stroll between the mountains and the sea
At Nebida there’s also the Belvedere, a paved path which takes you on a short walk (about 700m round trip) around the steep hillside where you have a wonderful view of the coast line.
From here you can see all the way from Pan di Zucchero (the biggeste sea stack in Europe) to the sea stacks below Nebida to Fontanamare beach (a 3km long sandy beach). Even all the way to the little town of Carloforte on the San Pietro island.
This is the perfect place to watch the Sardinia sunsets which are truly magnificent and more special than any I’ve ever seen before. Every single one of them is different and magical when the sun is vanishing into the sea. Depending on the humidity and the clouds it sometimes sets in a sea of pink and orange, or pale yellow and a tint of blue, or sometimes a hint of red and bright orange.
In the summer and early autumn months the pizzeria 906 Operaio, situated under a roof on the Belvedere walk, serve pizza and drinks, perfect for watching the sunsets.
Smell the ocean
From the Belvedere one has a first row seat to a view of the sea with its amazing array of colours. The colours are all shades of blue, green and the mix of the two; turquoise. Inviting colours, my kind of colours. But still, never the same colour, all the different shades you can imagine. Sometimes white is thrown into the mix in the form of waves turning into foam. Due to the clear water and the lack of sea weed or subsurface growth you can see many meters below the surface.
This is the place to take a deep breath and smell the fresh, salty smell of sea. To me it is truly the smell of freedom.
Traces from the past and Porto Raffa
From this path one can access the hillside flowing down to the sea with all its traces of the mining industry this area is so known for. There are tunnels, old pipes and sand and pebbles thrown into piles. An old stairway takes you down to the old mine washery, the Laveria Lamarmora if you feel like exploring this part of the place. Or go to the left and down the steep hill all the way until you reach the sea level and the first part of Porto Raffa. A tiny little beach full of colourful pebbles. When the waves flush on/off you can hear the little pebbles roll with a whooshing kind of noise.
This part of Porto Raffa can only be reached when the sea is relatively calm, as bigger waves will prevent you from climbing down.
There’s another more hidden part of Porto Raffa. If you don’t mind getting wet it can be reached through a little tunnel from the first part of the beach, but it’ll require a little waist deep wade at the end. OR you can climb the steep hillside up and up and then carefully make your way down on partially non existing old stairs on the other side. Also here there are colourful pebbles rolling with the waves. The sun only reaches this place later in the afternoon due to the steep cliffs all around. This little beach is a perfect little stopping place if you come by kayak in the afternoon when the sun reaches it.
Flutter with the butterflies
Down the climb to Porto Raffa I have seen the biggest butterflies I have ever encountered. Particularly where the mining industry long past deposited sand and pebbles, creating a long slide of sand. On every side there are some bushes and vegetation. Due to the topography with steep slopes on almost all sides apart from a little opening towards the sea this is also one of the hottest and least windy places. Maybe that’s what butterflies like. The black and yellow Tiger swallowtail, the brown Vanessa Cardui and the yellow Cleopatra all fluttering happily in this area.
But unfortunately no matter how much I fluttered around like the butterfly I was not able to get one photo in focus.
I go to Nebida regularly. It’s a place of peace, amazing nature and there are adventures to be had as soon as you step off the car park. And when you have had enough all together of exploring and nature there’s always a good pot of tea, a good coffee and a sweet pastry to be had from the friendly guys at Oasi.
Lots of love,
Bee