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Italy Mediterranean

The Beasts Not Under, But Over My Bed

In Sardinia, I woke up to a different kind of birdsong.

But something was off. I wasn’t sure if I was still dreaming when I saw that a flock of large white birds was sitting on top of a leafy tree, instead of hiding in the foliage. It reminded me of those images of white goats in trees, looking either startled or guilty, caught doing something they shouldn’t know how to do.

The birds weren’t the only flying animals on the island, however. “Zanzara”, I learned from the online reviews of our hotel, was mosquito in Italian and nobody liked them. My dislike was compounded by the Dengue warnings at the airport. Do you ever wish you could unknow things?

My friend had found an innovative answer to these unwanted insects stalking us upside down from the ceilings of our rooms: sugar sachets. No, she wasn’t opening them to attract the calculating, blood-sucking little beasts. She was throwing the sachets at them. The sachets were too light to harm the mosquitoes, but the idea was to get them to fly downwards onto a wall where she could reach them better.

I tried the sugar sachet technique, but I guess I’m not that good at throwing things, because the mosquitoes didn’t feel the need to move. Instead, I found that towel-whipping worked somewhat better for me. The cleaning person must’ve wondered why I needed so many towels for my shower, but at least I managed to not resort to shoe-tossing. My friend’s room had a telltale shoe print on the ceiling.

My towel technique made the mosquitoes disappear. I couldn’t find them no matter how hard I searched. But it turns out they weren’t actually harmed at all. They’d simply hid, with a grudge.

They found me when I slept. Covered in the cool room with a blanket all the way to my chin, the little monsters bit me on the face. I awoke each morning looking like I had more and more pimples.

I didn’t feel it was fair to blame it on the hotel, though, so I left the zanzaras out of my hotel review. Not everyone had done that, though. Looking through the reviews afterwards (as you do), I noticed that they were the number one source of complaint.

The photos are from Olbia and Alghero, Sardinia, May 2024.

57 replies on “The Beasts Not Under, But Over My Bed”

Oh my, what a horrible holiday you had! I’m so glad I didn’t have to be on that desastrous island full of utterly ugly buildings, murky water, lack of colour, no sun at all, strange red uniformed creatures, and nothing proper to drink. Zanzara’s? Not where I live!

*Wipes jealous tears from his face* 🙂

I hope your face is back to normal, Snow, and you made really wonderful pictures!

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If it was Singapore, the mozzie police would be all over the hotel, inspecting and issuing fines for any areas of standing water which are breeding zones for mosquitoes. I remember being shocked that health inspectors could and did demand entrance to homes, just so that they could check it out.

On a lighter note … don’t you love how zanzara sounds like them? It could be the beginning of a children’s story, don’cha think?

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Whaaat, seriously? Yikes, they take it seriously! Probably for a reason, too. I find it quite scary how little insects, like mozzies and ticks, can carry big diseases!
And yes, zanzara sounds like the sound they make when they fly by your ear. I imagine they were named by a child and this was the reasoning – that could make a childrens’ story for sure! A girl is sitting in her bed each evening, trying out names, until at the end, zanzara it is.

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Mosquitos can be a real bane. When the winds drop here, they come out in force. Luckily, they invariably head in my wife’s direction, so I am rarely bothered! I hope you had a great vacation other than that. From your excellent photos, it looks like the weather was decent and Sardinia was a charming and colorful place to be.

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It’s funny how mosquitos like some people’s blood and skip some. I’m one of those who gets bitten and the bites swell up, too. Maybe I’m slightly allergic to them or something, who knows. Anyway, Sardinia was nice and there are more photos to come!

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What lovely scenes 🥰! Hmm, the mosquitoes – have always been a problem in India 🙄. Didn’t know that they had Italian families too, named zanzara!! In India, they’ve become rather immune to the killer sprays and repellents. I think now only some powerful magic can get rid of them!

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Do the Indian ones carry all sorts of tropical diseases? I find it slightly alarming (from a self-centric, European point of view, of course) that dengue has even been found in Europe now (France, etc). But I guess the jungles aren’t that far away at all, if you look at a map. Malaria is probably coming, too. And here in the north, it’s the ticks that are dangerous!

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Unfortunately, yes. Don’t know about “all” but dengue, chikungunya and malaria – they are always causing havoc in one or the other part of India. Last year, for the first time in these many years, I learned that there is risk of Malaria in this part of Germany also where I live!

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“Zanzara” sounds glamorous for that blood bandits! Haha, in my mother’s tongue, it’s called just “Bang”. Sorry to hear about your bumps on your face. I was eating my noodles when I read your post. The part where your friend threw sugar sachets at them makes me choke, hahaha! I’ve never seen anyone throw anything at mosquitoes before in the land full of wandering mosquitoes here.

It is hard to find them once they are out of sight. Normally when I spot one, I stay still near where they are, and expose my bare arms to attract them as an easy desirable host. Once they landed, give it a few seconds to settle down, getting ready to pierce my skin and draw blood. And then bammmM!!! Works most of the time. 😂

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After reading your story which ended with you slapping the mozzie like “Bammmm!”, I full well understand why you guys call them “Bang”! Your capturing technique is quite brave, though – you really have to focus on the timing. Not for beginners, I’d say!
We have plenty of mozzies in the north of the country (Lapland), in the summer. But I live in a very windy area in Helsinki and I’m happy to report that insects seem to find the wind too strong and stay away (except for the ticks, which are everywhere).
And yes, zanzaras have expensive style and mostly like to dine on the rich and famous who visit Sardinia. They especially love to stalk those who just had a yummy gelato – hehee. I’m pretty sure they can taste these things in the blood!

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I did not think about the origin of the word ‘bang’ until you mentioned it.Lol. Yes, my technique is certainly not for beginners, advance level from years of practice. When the zanzara twitchs its back after landing, that is when it’s going to strike. Good to know that, if I ever Helsinki, there are no mozzies there because it’s windy. Best to avoid Lapland in the summer too. It’s funny how they can survive so up north. Summer in Lapland isn’t like the normal summer for sure. We have this concept here that, Type O blood seems to be the preferred blood type. 😂 Are you? haha

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I love your photos of Sardinia and how warm and colourful it is! Makes me want to visit. We don’t have mosquitos in Ireland, but unfortunately, the higher temperatures bring plagues of midges – tiny flies about the size of a pin head known for their itchy bites. They are a significant annoyance to people exploring the hills and to the animals that live there. Thanks for sharing, and have a good day 🙂 Aiva xx

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Oh yes, we have midges, too! Especially in the north. I get a very itchy reaction and it can last for days! Been a while though – I now live in a windy part of town and rarely visit the forest, so I’ve been pretty safe!
Thanks, Aiva, for reading and hope you’re seeing some sunny days over there!

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I hear you on the annoyance factor of mosquitoes. I hate the damn things that emerge when you are trying to get to sleep. Pillow throwing is my chosen technique and the only thing useful at hand when I am lying in bed. The casualties are usually the lamp or something other item of bedroom furniture or accessory.
Still the photos as always are sumptious.

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Thanks, Amanda! And now I’m curious, do you have several pillows, or do you then need to get up and fetch the pillow you threw? I actually have several (like a hotel bed!) so I might employ this technique of yours if needed! 😃

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I have several pillows useful for swatting mozzies. A couple of decorative ones that I only need to fetch if I don’t want the dogs to hog them and two that I sleep with that I definitely have to retrieve.

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Hopefully in hindsight, the zanzaras were a small price to pay for access to all the beautiful, clear water they’re undoubtedly attracted to. Wouldn’t have thought mosquito netting would be an essential for a trip to Italy. I went to Sicily for several weeks during a college year abroad (home base was Rome), but didn’t make it to Sardinia. Looks like it’s well worth a visit. Love the colorful umbrellas in the narrow walkway outside the restaurant.

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It was very pretty! I haven’t visited Sicily, or Corsica, for that matter, and this trip kind of ticked them both off the list. It was lovely and such a great trip (great company!), but next time, maybe somewhere a bit more developed. It was very rural and you needed a car (which we rented).

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Thanks, Ally! Nah, it wasn’t that bad! 😁 Just needed to write something to go along with the photos, and I’m not into traditional travel posts. It was annoying, but I wouldn’t quite call it hell! 🤪 (Maybe if I lived there permanently, that would be another story…)

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