Sardinia is one of our favorite summer destinations. I dare to say that for me it's like the Caribbean of Europe. There are beautiful beaches, crystal clear and warm sea, and rich and colorful underwater life.
But the sea is not the only thing that we are looking for during our holidays. Sardinia has so much more to offer. It has rich history, interesting culture, delicious cuisine, delicate textiles, and many other features that you would not expect to find there.
In July, it was our third time in Sardinia. Before, we used to change places during our stay almost every day to see and experience as much as we could, but this is also exhausting as we kept unpacking and packing again, and spending a lot of time in the car. We traveled across the island and visited many places, but we never had time to explore the region and truly enjoy our moments there.
This year, we did it differently. We booked a house in Alghero for the whole week. This meant that we couldn't travel that far as every day we had to come back to our temporary home. And it was a great decision! Our house was a perfect holiday spot. We had a large garden with many olive trees, a terrace overlooking the sea, and a roof terrace from where we could see Alghero at night. It was a pleasure to return there every day and read a book sitting on the terrace and looking at the sea.
Enough talking about the house! Let me show you one of the most interesting places in the region of Alghero - Museo Antoine De Saint-Exupéry.
I don't know anyone who wouldn't heard about Antoine de Saint-Exupéry before. But how many people know that he spent a few months before his death in Alghero? I have read The Little Prince written by him many times, and I was excited to learn that there is a museum dedicated to his life so close to where we were staying.
The museum is situated in Torre Nuova which is a place in Isola Marine Protected Area.
The museum takes us through his life but its focus lies on the period that he spent in Alghero. He lived in Bay of Porto Conte from May to July 1944. The villa where he lived is located opposite the Torre Nuova. He was coming to this side of the bay to swim. He was a strong swimmer and didn't mind that the sea here can get a bit rough.
You might be asking why he was staying in this part of Sardinia. He served as a pilot for the Allied American air force during the World War II. They were stationed at the military airport of Fertilia which is not so far from this place. You might be surprised as he was a writer, but he was also a commercial pilot before the war.
Did you know that The Little Prince is the most-read book in the history of literature with the exceptions of the Bible and the Koran? I didn't.
I guess that you recognize this boy, don't you?
The museum is quite small but it shows a large collections of various objects, such as newspapers from that period, photos of Antoine created by photojournalist John Phillips, works of art and themed installations showing us how was the life of a pilot during the war time.
The most interesting part of the museum for me were the first editions of all his books.
Even though he was engaged as a pilot he continued writing during his stay. He wrote most of his novel The Wisdom of the Sands and his last work Letter to an American during his stay in Alghero.
The museum is situated on two floors. We spent some time on the second floor watching short movies from his life.
There is also a viewing point on the roof but it was very windy, so we were not allowed to enter it.
My husband said that this bed looks comfortable. He was in the army too, so for him it might look ok, but I'm not so sure about it 🙂
We also saw some symbols from The Little Prince.
The sheep represents the dual nature of true love and of great commitment. You receive great pleasure when you devote yourself to anything but you also take a risk of being hurt.
The rose which is the object of the little prince's affection. She lies to him and it makes him decide to leave his planet and go on his journey.
The snake which represents death but also the little prince's transportation to his beloved rose.
We also bought small magnets with these symbols, as well as with the symbol of the fox that said: One sees clearly only with the heart. What is essential is invisible to the eye.
You can also purchase The Little Prince in the local dialect of Alghero.
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry disappeared in the skies above France on the 31st of July 1944. His disappearance remains the mystery. There were many theories about his death: that he had been shot down, lost control of his plane, even that he committed suicide. The most probable one is that he was shot down by a German pilot but this isn't a proven fact either.
After the excursion of the museum, let me take you around the tower. It's a short walk but there are so many fascinating views!
When you visited Alghero, I'm sure that you heard of Capo Caccia with its iconic caves of Neptune. It's the cliff on the left. The sea was rough during our stay and the caves were closed, so we were not able to see them but it gives us another reason to come again.
I hope that you have enjoyed our tour.
Thank you for reading!
Cheers,
Martina