Agriturismo Testone, Nuoro, Sardinia, Italy

There are many things we love about Sardinia, however Agriturismo Testone, perched up in the hills, about 15 km north of Nuoro, was hands-down the highlight of this autumn’s trip.

The farm is a brilliant argument for pulling yourself away from Sardinia’s beaches for a few days to enjoy the stunning mountainous center of the country. Sebastiano, the gracious owner and head cook has transformed the original compound of thick-walled family farm buildings into comfortable and spotlessly clean rooms, along with a dining hall. We stayed there with the express aim of doing nothing, but it’s also great base to visit surrounding hill towns, and much of central Sardinia is within daytrip range.  The real reason you visit, however, is to eat.

Set on more than 300 acres of hilly, wooded land, the farm produces a wide range of certified organic products, and nearly everything you’ll eat here is made on the farm, and all is of extraordinary quality. A typical dinner will start with a plate of simply unreal homemade charcuterie and cheese with bread, followed by some variety of handmade pasta.  The secondi could be anything from veal stew to simply roasted vegetables from the garden.

Sebastiano defers credit for his cooking to the quality of the ingridients his land can produce, arguing that his cooking is straightforward, almost rustic, based half on what he learned during his student days cooking for his housemates, and half on what he learned from mom. Wherever the credit lies, dinner will be the highlight of your day, all the more so if you have an Italian-speaker in the party who can relate Sebastiano’s stories to you.