Freedom hero, hiking on Caprera and our search for an open gas station in Sardinia

On our last day, we drove with our rental car to the island of La Maddalena, which we had already explored on foot.

However, we continued directly by car over the bridge to the neighboring island of Caprera, which is mostly a nature reserve.

Since we had already learned that opening hours are very limited here in the autumn, we first headed to the house of the freedom fighter Giuseppe Garibaldi.

The national hero, who fought for the liberation and unification of Italy, lived there from 1856 until his death in 1882.

In the parking lot, we also met some of the island's animal residents:

Two free-roaming pigs had made themselves comfortable in the sun, and there were stray cats all around the souvenir stand (which were also fed there).

Some of the animals had also found a spot on the stand and sat between tablecloths and cork souvenirs in the shade.

After this brief glimpse into Italian history, we set out to explore nature on Caprera.

We started with a hike to Monte Tejalone for a good overview.

From the top, we had a beautiful panoramic view over Caprera and to the neighboring island of La Maddalena.

In the past, Caprera had military lookout points, the remains of which we saw on all our hikes.

Steps still led to the highest point of the mountain. There, we made ourselves comfortable for a picnic at noon with a view.

Next, we drove a bit further north to a slightly longer hike that started at the Garibaldi Monument. We didn't want to visit this second museum on the island because the multimedia exhibition was only offered in Italian.

Over somewhat rough paths (which are supposedly suitable for wheelchair users with three companions...) we headed to the north coast.

We particularly liked the rock formations on the island and the different vegetation during the hike.

Twice we also saw wild goats climbing over the rocks, but they didn't seem to mind us too much.

Their counterparts met us again as soon as we returned to the road with the car: They stood by the roadside and watched the passing tourists.

After a short coffee break in a small snack bar in the forest, we drove to the starting point for our last hike.

The route started near the beach and initially led uphill.

On the way, we saw the old fortress where the second museum about Garibaldi is now housed.

The path then led us back to the coast, where we passed several small beaches in different bays.

The marking of the path was not quite as good, so that at one point we realized that we had taken a wrong turn only after crossing a small 'river' and climbing over rocks.

But in the end, we managed to get back to our car, even though it was a bit rocky.

We still had some time left and wanted to drive along the panoramic road of La Maddalena one more time.

Part of the road runs directly along the coast, so you have a beautiful view of the bays and the water.

Before we took the ferry back, we wanted to quickly refuel. Unfortunately, the first gas station that Google suggested turned out to be for boats only... So we drove another kilometer, where an Esso gas station was marked on the map. When we got there, an Italian told us that they were on strike today... So we decided to take the ferry back to Palau and look for a gas station there because we had to return the car with a full tank in the evening.

Arriving in Palau, we still had 45 minutes until the return time. We went to one of the two gas stations (of course, the Esso gas station was also closed here) and found that the machine wasn't working. We waited somewhat undecided, wondering if our lack of Italian skills was the problem. But when several locals arrived, tapped on the screen wildly, and then shrugged and left, we gave up hope.

We now had about half an hour left and the next gas station was in another town - about 12 minutes away by car. I quickly went to the car rental office to explain our problem and then we quickly drove to the gas station, hoping that it was open...

Fortunately, we were able to refuel there and made it back to the car rental agency 7 minutes before the return time.