Monoliths of Sardinia

Monoliths of Sardinia

Trekking and biking paths lead to their feet and the top is a destination for climbers

stones with an ancient history and of pure energy

Buttes, aiguilles and rocky peaks are the silent witnesses of a geological era during which they incorporated fossils, schists, limestone and dolomite rocks from the Cambrian period. They burst powerfully into the Sardinian landscapes and are so full of energy accumulated over hundreds of millions of years that they were already perceived and considered places of worship in the Nuragic age, a sentiment resulting from the cosmic occurrences considered divine and supernatural. Much of that magical aura and that transcendental solitude will reach you as you walk the paths that lead to their feet. Here are some of them - destinations for unusual excursions.

Perda 'e Liana, the navel of Sardinia

It is a crossroads of the most beautiful excursions, coast to coast on horseback, trekking and biking trails in the Ogliastra mountains, which can also be enjoyed in a 4x4 or on a quad bike. You can also reach this place via a short walk, leaving the car a few kilometres away. If you walk up it on clear days, you will see the Tyrrhenian Sea on one side and the Gulf of Oristano on the other with a single glance.

Perda 'e Liana

A butte with a unique form stands tall and, as well as being the main morphological feature of central-eastern Sardinia, it is a natural monument...

Monte Pulchiana, more tenacious than granite

It is majestic and matches the grandeur and exuberant beauty of the nature that surrounds it. It is also generous and lends itself to being experienced as an open-air gym, with trails to walk or cycle along and sheer rock faces to climb. This is why its role is that of a ‘prima donna’ in the granitic landscape along this stretch of Gallura.

Monte Pulchiana

This exceptional pinkish-yellow natural monument is a favourite destination for climbers and characterises the landscape of the deepest Gallura, in...

Barbagia, where you can hear the Island’s heartbeat

The historic centres of the villages ‘of stone’ in the Barbagia area are the starting points. From the funtana de tzia Albara in Aritzo, a seven-kilometre walk in the shade of chestnut, hazelnut and cherry trees, during which you will encounter other historic fountains, leads you to the base of su Texile. Tomorrow it will be the turn of a monolith in the nearby village of Belvì. Its name is Pitz’ e Pranu.

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Su Texile

A famous barbaricino 'taccu', a strange shaped hill in the centre of Sardinia that has become a characteristic natural monument,...

Pedra Mendalza... once upon a time there was a volcano

You can reach it by walking along the enchanting clearing of volcanic cones and lava flows that dot the Meilogu Valley of the Nuraghi. You can even lean out and look inside some of the extinct volcanoes. The fairy-tale appearance of landscape that surrounds it is so surreal that it is said to have once been inhabited by fairies. In Sardinia, the Janas are never brought up by chance.

Pedra Mendalza

Nature and legend come together in a single mass of basalt that stands alone on a plateau amidst the extinct volcanoes of Meilogu, in the north...

The only ones overlooking the sea

You can reach Pedra Longa via a challenging path, or more comfortably by car, while you can get to the base of the Aguglia along the trekking trail to Cala Goloritzè. They are famous and highly frequented. Photos of them travel around the Internet and images of them are captured both from the sea, with the white background of limestone embedded with junipers, or from the land, lost in the blue of the Gulf of Orosei. They are at their best beyond the summer, when immersed in the “divine silence” of the Supramonte of Baunei.