Sardinia: Loiri, June 2010

Tanzy and Giovanni invited us into their home and very quickly became friends. We were invited for "spaghetata" one evening and Giovanni told us many tales about Sardinia in the older days when the Mafiosi still ruled the operations.

He told us about the shepherds that used to live in caves and huts made from sticks and stones. He shared about his childhood and the differences between Italy and Sardinia. 

Tanzy is a horse trainer. We would wake every morning to the sound of the horses galloping in the ring while Tanzy trained them. Due to the heat, the flies become a real problem and so in general the horses are actually quite fidgety which makes training harder during the summer months. The ground also becomes too hard for their hooves and so training slows down a lot. She was very interested in Ireland and how horse training happens here due to the difference in climate and soil make up.

Before marrying Giovanni, Tanzy owned her own yacht and chartered small tours around the Med. She told us about the hard work involved but also how she misses it.

Giovanni built their home in Loiri. It is nestled between two mountain ranges. Unfortunately while we were visiting with them, one of their horses were stolen. Through connections they found out who stole it but by the time we left, a plan had not yet been put together to get the horse back.