The other day my parents, their friends and I went on a road trip to visit family in Montizeddu (somewhere between Sassari and Alghero on the Northwest side of the island.)

It took about 2 1/2 hours to get there (not necessarily the most relaxing trip-but that’s another story!) The plan was to have lunch on my aunt and uncle’s farm and then take off to Alghero for the afternoon to see the sites and do some window shopping.

Look at what we saw on the way, besides some CRAZY drivers!…

“Dog on a Hot Shingled Roof!” (Don’t know how he got up there, and don’t know how he got down!!)

I have fond memories of this place…jumping in the pigpen to pet the pigs, chasing after the endless number of dogs, climbing through the haystacks in the barn, discovering “maggot” cheese for the first time (no, I did not eat it!), watching my uncle make tripe, and the best one of all…taking a shower in a tub outside because I was too scared to face all the spiders hanging out in the bathroom!!!

“Little farmhouse on the island”

Helping my aunt get lunch ready…times have changed! When I was younger I was too busy playing outside to appreciate the work involved in preparing an authentic Sardinian lunch.

“Let me just check which one of my hatchets is more apt to chopping the fresh lamb for today’s lunch…”

Homemade aged Pecorino cheese

Fresh (homemade, of course!) sausage…they say pregnant women shouldn’t eat lunch meat or sausages but this one doesn’t count because it is made fresh and is preservative-free!! Yay!

“Agnello in umido” (Lamb stewed with onions and wine)

Homemade ricotta and swiss chard ravioli and tomato sauce with chunks of lamb…YUM!

And we felt bad for all the cats and dogs on the farm!  All I know is my dog’s scraps are not ravioli with homemade sauce and leftover lamb bones!

Doesn’t get any more rural than this!

If you kiss a pig, will it turn into a prince?! 😉

I could go on and on with my “farm” stories but I don’t want to bore you! The most difficult thing for me about life on the farm (being a self-proclaimed arachnophobic!!) is dealing with the “visitors” all over the house! ;-(