Lessons from the Village

Socialising

A 101 guide to being social in Sardinia

Go walking between 9:00am and 11:30am or 4:00pm and 7:00pm. If you stay inside during these times, say, to read books or be alone, it is highly likely that people will talk about you like this: “I don’t know why she is like that, she is a little strange.”

Here, within these appropriate times, you will be asked to join others for an espresso, a tumbler of red wine, a 30-minute streetside conversation during which somebody will pass and shout, “Hey you, [insert nickname here—everyone has one in a small village. Me, I am Mary Poppins for the most part], where you been!?”

If you do not go out at these crucial times, you may never acquire any friends. It’s a fact. It’s also embarrassing to go to lunch or dinner too early. if you need to, or choose to, eat quickly. If this does occur, be prepared for what