Living in Sardinia sounds like a tempting prospect. Dave and Marie Tringham from Sheffield share their experience of Island life.
Dave and Marie Tringham are well-placed to share a taste of what it’s like living in Sardinia. They own a two-bedroom apartment in a small beach town in the middle of Sardinia’s northern coast.
They visit it for several weeks every July as well as for a week at Easter and in the autumn.
Friends, family and holiday rental clientele fill up most of the rest of the calendar.
What, or rather who, drew them to Sardinia?
“It’s D. H. Lawrence’s fault!” Dave laughs.
“I read his travel memoir Sea and Sardinia when I was in my twenties and it sparked a lifelong intrigue with the island.
“When Marie and I first came here thirty years ago, I was thrilled to find that Sardinia was every bit as enchanting as I had been expecting. Since then, we’ve travelled all over the island, which is huge and wonderfully varied.
“When we decided to buy a holiday home ten years ago, we chose the north coast because it was very easy to get to from the UK and it offered us so many interesting places spread across a small area.
“There are superb beaches, wild open spaces, pretty resorts, sleepy little villages, lively towns, posh yachts, humble fishing boats, pinewoods, hills – all sorts of things within easy reach of where we are.
“Our apartment is in a simple modern building at the end of a quiet side street. It’s perfect for us. We didn’t want to have to worry about restoring a ruin or maintaining an old house ‘with character’.
“We planned to be out and about most of the time, exploring the local area rather than sitting in the house!
“We do have a nice balcony space at the apartment where we often sit in the evenings over dinner, though, watching the sunset fade and the stars come out.
“There’s always so much to notice, especially after a couple of glasses of wine – the slow cooling of the evening air and the way the smells of the flowers and plants get stronger and sweeter. We love our evenings on the balcony!
“We were a bit worried about what levels of noise we might get inside an apartment, but we’ve been very pleased to discover how well the Italians build. Very thick walls mean we don’t hear a thing from anyone.
“Our property hunting and buying experience was very smooth and straightforward. The estate agencies on the island are extremely helpful and professional.
“They’re used to foreign buyers and explained everything and guided us through.
“I would recommend Sardinia to anyone. It’s such a unique and unusual place. And the local people are lovely – extremely kind, gentle and hospitable.
“D. H. Lawrence was charmed by Sardinians when he visited the island, and I think anyone else would be too.”
Discover more about living in Italy in our property archives
Photo © Dave and Marie Tringham