Every time a holiday comes around I spend a week beforehand endlessly debating which cameras to bring with me. Sometimes I find that this takes away from the enjoyment of being on holiday in the first place.

For my trip to Sardinia, I wanted to keep it simple. I took a 15-year-old Olympus Pen E-P2, a Lumix 14–42mm pancake lens and a 20mm 1.7 prime lens. The Olympus is now well over 15 years old but like almost every other digital camera of this era it takes fantastic photos with rich tones, vibrant colours and more than enough detail for any situation. It was my first m43 camera and it helped me fall in love with 4:3 as an aspect ratio for shooting photographs.

We started our trip in the small fishing town of La Maddalena, located on the islands of the Maddalena archipelago, a short 20-minute ferry from the mainland port of Palau in northern Sardinia.

It’s fair to say that I completely fell in love with this small collection of semi-connected islands over the 3 days we spent eating, swimming and exploring. From those cobbled paving stones in the centre of town with its narrow alleyways, bustling restaurants and abundant ice cream parlours, to the hidden bays that lay in various enclaves across the island. This place felt like a real Mediterranean paradise with its rich history, crystal clear water and mountainous terrain that sets it apart from any other place I’ve visited on the European continent.

From La Maddalena we made our way down the east coast of Sardinia, stopping off in Cala Ganone, a coastal town set deep into the hills of the Nuoro province of the island which is an area of cultural significance with over 30 archeological sites from the Nuragic age.

After spending some time exploring the various little villages, heritage sites and museums in the hills, we’d spend our days driving along the rugged coastline, touring the different pebbled beaches and sunning ourselves on the rocks with our homemade mortadella sandwiches in one hand and an ice cold Ichnausa Limone in another (Sardinian radler).

In the evening we’d lounge on our terrace overlooking the sea, swatting away the evening mosquitoes as we played canasta, ate stale tostadas with big chunks of salted tomato and sipped on strong gin and tonics — all was well, life was good.

Our final stop was in Cagliari, the capital city of Sardinia, situated in the south of the island. We stayed just outside of the city centre, traveling by bus to join the droves of other tourists making their way through the steep streets like cattle on the hillside in the mid-day sun. At times we found ourselves following whoever was immediately in front of us in the hope of stumbling upon another cathedral, a view, somewhere to eat or a spot of shade.

Dowsed in sweat and exhausted from the crowds, we’d often find ourselves taking refuge in the small cafes that lined the roadside adjacent to each landmark. Labouring our iced coffees, we’d sit silently and watch the different groups of people admiring the necropolis, studying the details of the Roman amphitheater or shuffling behind a guide on a walking tour.

*Roman Amphitheatre / View From Apartment*

After 2 weeks of travelling our trip had come to an end and it was time to head back to England. Sardinia was an unforgettable experience, no doubt I’ll be back but in the meantime, I’ll cherish the sights and sounds of such a beautiful island in the photos I captured on this small but mighty micro four-thirds camera.

Capturing Sardinia On A 15 Year Old Camera

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