Well today I discovered something which will be of interest to my niece, Lucy. It turns out "The Little Mermaid 2" (not the one on the rock in Copenhagen) was filmed in Sardinia. With white sand, clear water and picturesque mountains, the island made the perfect backdrop for the aquatic love story. Scenes including Eric's Castle were filmed here in Castelsardo (with a little CGI)! I have yet to see the film but it makes sense when you see the signs "Live action Disney La Sirenetta" around the town!
Today I ventured over to Porte Torres which was founded during the 1st century BC as Colonia Iulia Turris Libisonis. It was the first Roman colony of the entire island. Today it's a bustling port with a substantial fishing fleet, marina and service port with direct links to mainland Europe. It is also a good walking town so I did the lap around via Aragonese Tower, with its octagonal form, and dates back to Spanish times (1323). Onto what's left of the Roman city of Turris Libisonis, founded by Julius Caesar around 45 B.C. which can be viewed through the fence without paying! Then to The Basilica of San Gavino which is the biggest and oldest Romanic church in Sardinia. It now houses the remains of Saints Gavino, Proto and Gianuario whose story led me to this cute seaside church called The Sanctuary of San Gavino a Mare, also known as the church of Balai, next to the beautiful beach of Balai. Tradition tells that this small church was built on the exact point in the shore where the sea took the corpses of the 3 martyrs. These saints are celebrated during the Festha Manna (on this Sunday). Inside the church (which is rarely open) are statues of the saints in a little cave which was the alleged tomb of the martyrs. There were people inside preparing for the festival and mumbling prayers, so I didn't get any photos! Then I drove back to my accomodation and spent the afternoon sitting by the pool!
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