Paolo Bonifacio – Sardinia in the Heart

I met Paolo Bonifacio some years ago when I was writing about Offroad Tourism for the  monthly magazine “MX Motosprint”. I had seen Paolo's activities as Offroad Guide and his organization on line www.sardegnaadventures.com and thanks to the fact that Bonifacio had (and still has today) the possibility of renting the motocycles (currently the Husqvarna latest generation), service organization was extremely fast.

I thought to know enough Sardinia that I can no longer be impressed by its views, or by the smell of its perfumes,  diving in its transparent sea and driving on its so wild paths were not secrets anymore; I thought to be totally accustomed to this island, to its way of being unique, just “Sardinia”, even if I am so deeply in love with this land. That day I incredibly changed my mind following Paolo, and I realized amazingly that there was still more to discover.

Ugo: “Your knowledge of the territory is yet legendary...”

Paolo: “I love to know all about Sardinia, I was born here about 40 years ago and I have been knowing it each time better by driving with my offroad motocycle!”

Paolo is deeply in love with his island. Sardinian language has plenty of dialects, its expressions can be so much different, and he is able to talk with everyone everywhere. Moreover he is able to explain - from the top of a hill - the orography of all the mountains you see all around you, the plants, traditions, the typical dishes of the territory you are travelling.

Paolo: “My parents opened an ethnographic musuem in an old house in Orgosolo, on the Supramonte, a location really famous for its more than 200 murales. It can be visited in every period of the year and it's really appreciated by the tourists. Often I decide to stop there to visit them, and I bring my travellers with me.

Paolo is deeply rooted in the territory, and has established several logistics centers for its structure, in order to optimize the movements. It depends on whether he's busy with  an enduro tour (both tourist and "technical"), or onroad itinerary, or by bike or 4x4 or, still, if he is training drivers who want to improve their technical skills on the various possibilities offered by the Sardinian tracks.

Paolo: “I have organized many travel itineraries in all Sardinia to satisfy all the various tourists' or pilots' needs. From Gallura to Barbagia, from the Ogliastra region to the inland. In every moment we can find and idea for satisfying the driving-lust of the most enthusiastic enduro pilots, or changing the route for a more relaxing one when you are aware that you need to rest and you are enjoying the idea of diving in the Sardinian Sea.”

Ugo: “You have competitiveness experiences as well as travel guide, right?”

Paolo: “I began travelling by motocycle in the 90s and at the end of the century I did some races, but I have been also a tracer and a forerunner of some Sardinian Rallies. I have done the “Six Days” twice, the first one in Mexico in 2010 and, obviously the Sardinian one in 2013. Unfortunately I got injured the first day of the competition, so I decided to quit at the forth stage. In 2005 I started the driving activity full time, in 2006 the website has been opened and now we are strengthening the activities within it because the offerts have been enlarged to bikes, onroad motocycles, quads and 4x4 vehicles. Friends specialized in these different fields help me, we are at work all year round”.

Since it is difficult to live only with the motocycles, there's always time for the “food”. I got “culinary” experiences with shepherds, or participated in organized lunches set by Paolo's brother, who is a restaurateur, during the itineraries. They made me discover new tastes and understand that that particular cheese, or ricotta, bread, wine... - which since then I had only “eaten” - could give me just a half of the sensations they are able to offer elsewhere.

Sardinia is not far away, you can reach it by plane and find there the motocycle, the bike and everything else. Then you'll start planning your next trip, or trips rather.

Ugo Passerini