A Final Thought About Sardinia’s Kidnapping Biz

On our final day of this trip to Sardinia, we took advantage of a long layover to take a train into Rome, where we had pizzas at the Campo dei Fiori. It was lovely sitting under umbrellas eating margherita pizzas and not having any wine, since last week had been so full of fine wine–and how many days in a row can you gulp down wine at lunch and dinner? I had reached my limit and was happy to have a Coke with my anchovy pie.

Before I left for this trip, my wise old friend Ed told me over lunch that I should be careful…I was entering a wild land where kidnapping is common. He added that many of the criminals send pieces of victim’s ears to reinforce their demands for ransoms. “I’m not kidding,” he said, “It’s real.”

A woman we met from the Tourism board in Calgiari scoffed when I brought this up at dinner the first night. “That’s like me being afraid to drive by a school in the US, because someone might shoot at me.” she said there was nothing to fear.

Then as we drove in the bus toward a national park on the eastern side of the island called Supramonte, our guide pointed to a little town. “This is a wild place, the capital of kidnapping. There have been two kidnappings this year, but it’s not as bad as they say.”

So I had to give my old pal Ed credit, he was right, there are still kidnappings on this wild island. But I don’t think they are targeting journalists or tour operators, so we’ve escaped unharmed and lived to tell the tale.