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Moving along the coast of Ogliastra, over 50 kilometres divided into four legs and marked by clear landmarks, the coastal towers that stand out on the cliffs, once defensive bastions and today panoramic observation points. The itinerary takes you from the Aragonese tower of Sarrala in Marina di Tertenia, along the coasts of Gairo, Cardedu and Barì Sardo, as far as Arbatax and, lastly, at Santa Maria Navarrese, the seaside village of Baunei. You can stop for a rest in these seaside locations and taste the delicacies that arrive ‘fresh’ from the sea and the land and are part of the ‘centenarians’ diet’. After the first leg in the wild greenery of Monte Ferru you can follow the outline of the coast. While walking along cliffs and enchanting beaches, you’ll come across prehistoric legacies and feel thrilled during the first few kilometres of the most popular trekking trail in Europe that looks out over Gulf of Orosei. If the sea of Ogliastra enchants you and the Supramonte leaves you spellbound, you’ll be coming back to this area.

Itinerary: 60 Km

Journey time: about 15 hours, spread over 4 days

At first glance, you will be struck by the fairy-tale atmosphere of the forest, equipped with a convenient picnic area. Then, going up along the path, first you’ll see a small church appear with a spectacular open-air altar next to it, then you’ll see a nuraghe, more hidden by the surrounding vegetation. All this is found inside the Monte Sant’Antonio Park, a small oasis just eight kilometres from Macomer. The origin of the elevation is volcanic and it has an altitude of about 800 metres. On its slopes, there is a green area of 277 hectares, mainly made up of downy oaks, but you will also see cork oak groves and reforestation of holm oaks and chestnut trees, where wild rabbits, Sardinian hares, foxes, wild boars and martens roam.

The forest is crossed by paths ideal for hiking trips and it also contains an area equipped with tables with barbecue facilities next to them. Continuing south, you will reach the top of the mountain, where a country church dedicated to Saint Anthony of Padua stands. The the sanctuary was built by a married couple from Macomer and the building work began in 1644. It is the site of a heartfelt celebration organised every year by a committee made up of forty-year-old fedales. Around the church, you will notice a series of engravings on stone slabs depicting scenes of the via crucis (way of the cross), while an altar stands out, over a small staircase, above which there is a majestic statue of the Virgin Mary with child, positioned behind it.

On 12 June, the citizens of Macomer accompany the wooden simulacrum of the saint from the Parish Church of San Pantaleo to the country church, on a journey of thirteen kilometres. The following day, the real celebration takes place, with songs, shows, banquets and stalls, where you can taste typical local products. On 14 June, the statue returns to Macomer, accompanied by horsemen and riflemen in costume.

The surprises don’t end here: to the west, a small path through the vegetation will take you to the single-tower nuraghe of Sant’Antonio, with an elliptical-shaped room and a tholos roof. From the top, you can admire a splendid panorama that includes not only the forest below but also a view of Montiferru and Planargia, up to the Abbasanta plateau and the Gennargentu mountains.

Your archaeological tour of Macomer continues as you move a few kilometres further on to the Park of Tamuli. Here, in addition to the complex nuraghe and the surrounding village, you will see three Giants’ Tombs, almost aligned - perhaps oriented according to the movement of the sun during the day - and near which there are six mysterious anthropomorphic baetyls, positioned in two groups: the first depicting the male element, the second with the baetyls decorated with breast-like shapes, representing the female element, the origin of life.

Bright sunny days will remain impressed on your mind, a comforting warmth even in winter, autumns and springs to frame and ‘experience’ intensely and summers that seem never-ending. You will feel at home, thanks to the authentic welcome, deeply rooted in the traditions of the people who populate the coastal villages. You will share their daily lifestyle, which has helped make the Sardinians a people of legendary centenarians. Every glimpse of the seaside villages is a photograph to add to the album of the most emotion-filled memories, and that’s just the beginning. Then there’s the habit of eating good food in these locations, an incomparable mixture of sea and land, outdoor activity, healthy and scented with Mediterranean essences. On foot and by bike, along the paths outside the walls, where enchanting coastal landscapes enshrine mysterious archaeological legacies and fascinating medieval ruins and where, without realising, your gaze will soon be lost on the horizon.

In the evening, a few artificial lights emerge in immense spaces, peaceful and silent, beyond the coasts. They indicate a few small towns and, above all, the numerous little villages that exude authentic charm, ancient traditions and original cultures. Don't expect a spectacular wow effect, like when faced with the unparalleled beauty of the Sardinian sea, as these places have a discreet and reserved charm that cannot be grasped at first glance by a passing visitor. You have to stop for a first-hand experience of how ‘life in the past' found solid roots in the alleys and in the people who live there, thus remaining as it was originally. It is imprinted on the stones of the houses, in daily gestures, in the expressions of pure humanity on the faces of the people you will meet in the Island’s inland villages, which are part of the ‘club dei borghi più belli d’Italia’ (association of the most beautiful villages in Italy).

More than an exhibition space, it’s a ‘treasure chest’ containing the memory and cultural identity of Aritzo and the villages on the western side of the Gennargentu. The Ecomuseum of the Sardinian Mountains is organised as a scattered museum, inside a village in the Barbagia di Belvì region, with its ‘epicentre’ in the ethnographic museum. You will find it surrounded by the greenery of the Pastissu park, proving the unbreakable bond between community and natural heritage, hence the name ‘ecomuseum’. Through the exhibition’s eight rooms, you will discover domestic environments, ancient trades, feminine ‘know-how’ and the use of resources offered by nature, without neglecting the relationship with spirituality and magical-religious beliefs.

Your journey begins by deepening your knowledge of the topic of pastoral culture. The first room describes the milk processing procedure and care of livestock. The most unusual object on display is su Giuramentu, a group of medallions with sacred images and a crucifix, used until a few decades ago to settle disputes regarding grazing and livestock. The second room shows two distinctive elements of the village: forest products, especially chestnuts, and the ancient activity of ‘travelling merchants’. The renowned products of Aritzo were often found in festivals and markets: nougat, wooden artefacts, hazelnuts, chestnuts and carapigna, a typical lemon sorbet made using ice obtained from snow. The third room is dedicated to wool. Every phase of its processing is described right up to the finished products, among which the colourful traditional clothes stand out. The fourth room represents a wax processing and candle production laboratory. You can continue by ‘entering’ a traditional home, with a kitchen, bread-making and chestnut-processing tools, equipment for taking care of linens, a collection of carved trunks and objects for children, such as cribs, walkers and toys. Trunks are the protagonists again in room 6: in particular, a type of carved trunk known as the ‘Aritzo trunk’ or the ‘Barbaricina trunk’, a traditional element of the wedding trousseau, is on display. The next rooms explore the Aritzo landscapes: the forest and its resources – fruit and wood –, agriculture and the activity of blacksmiths and farriers.

The other exhibitions linked to the ecomuseum will take you back in time: at Casa Devilla you can admire a home that belonged to a wealthy middle-glass family in the 19th century, while the Antonio Mura Museum exhibits works by the Aritzo-born painter, rich in references to the traditions and landscapes of Sardinia. Lastly, you will visit the Spanish prisons of sa Bovida, where there is a permanent exhibition on the subject of witchcraft and the Inquisition between the 15th and 17th centuries.

An endless, relaxing, irresistible day of sun and sea. Then in the evening the atmosphere is transformed, everything changes: DJ sets, concerts, events and beach parties take place. You can decide where and how long to stay and choose your favourite music.

Its appearance is solemn, like that of a cathedral. The church of Nostra Signora d’Itria is located eight kilometres east of Gavoi and what makes it special is the festive atmosphere and the hospitality that can be felt when the sanctuary and the cumbessias around it open up to the pilgrims, novena participants and visitors, especially during the celebration at the end of July, dedicated to the Madonna of Itria. The area in which the novenary is located has always been considered sacred: in fact, various archaeological evidence emerges in its surroundings: gigantic walls, Domus de Janas, Tombs of Giants and a few menhirs. In particular, sa Perda de sa Itria stands out. It is a granite monolith about four metres high, devoid of figurative elements and lodged in the green ‘garden’ to the south of the church, on the side not occupied by the cumbessias.

Sa Itria, as the people of Gavoi call it, stands on the Lidana plateau. It was rebuilt in the early 20th century on the site of a small church dedicated to the Virgin of Itria. There is no information about the previous sanctuary, except for an inscription on a bell kept inside the current church, which would confirm its title and testify to its existence at least in the mid-16th century. You can admire a building of considerable size, made of square blocks of granite, with a rectangular layout and an apse facing north-east. The façade is gabled, with an architraved portal above which there is a circular window. You will notice other windows on the sides, which are semicircular in shape and framed in mirrors punctuated by pilasters. Around it, positioned in a horseshoe shape, you will observe the cumbessias made of granite ashlars, surrounded by greenery. The novena and the procession come before the feast of Nostra Signora d’Itria, one of the most heartfelt by the inhabitants of Gavoi, on the last Sunday in July. The churchyard comes alive with dancing, singing and games, while fellow villagers and visitors are welcomed into the lodgings, transforming the novenary into a sort of village ‘district’ ​​for ten days. The main event is su Palu de sa Itria, on Sunday afternoon: the palio has very ancient origins, dating back to 1388 - the year of the signing of the peace treaty between Eleanor of Arborea and John I of Aragon - and takes place in a natural ‘amphitheatre’ next to the sanctuary. Other tests of skill on horseback take place on Monday and Tuesday, while Wednesday is the day of sa ghirada a caddu, or the return to the village on horseback.

Gavoi is a town rich in attractions and traditions, which has received the Bandiera Arancione (Orange Flag) award from the Touring Club, and is ‘immersed’ in a breathtaking natural setting. Don't miss the carnival, during which there is a parade of tumbarinos – typical Gavoi drummers -, the stage of Autumn in Barbagia and the prestigious literary festival L'Isola delle Storie (Island of Stories).

“The path that leads from Fonni to the mountain first runs past the foot of a small hill two kilometres from the village, on which the Church of Nostra Signora del Monte stands; every year, a big celebration takes place there with a large crowd”. This description is by General Alberto Della Marmora, one of the most prestigious ‘travellers’ in 19th-century Sardinia, in the passage on his ‘Itinerary of the island of Sardinia’ in which he describes the landscapes around Gennargentu. The sanctuary is less than five kilometres south of Fonni and is worth visiting, for various reasons: along with the Madonna della Neve (Madonna of the Snow) by Desulo – on the Tascusì pass -, Nostra Signora di Gonare between Orani and Sarule and Madonna della Neve on Monte Limbara in Tempio Pausania, it is the church located at the highest altitude in Sardinia (about a thousand metres). Furthermore, from the nearby lookout, you’ll see a breathtaking view embracing the peaks of Gennargentu, the basin of Lake Govossai and the Pratobello plain.

It is not just the surrounding landscape that makes Nostra Signora de su Monte – or also Madonna della Visitazione, two other names by which the church is known -, a stop not to be missed during a visit to Fonni: next to the church there are two rows of cumbessias or muristenes, typical lodgings for pilgrims and novena participants, especially during the festival also mentioned by General Della Marmora. The celebrations are traditionally organised by families from Fonni and include a novena, a procession and folklore shows. The ‘care’ dedicated to the church by private individuals has ancient origins: around the 17th century there was only a small chapel with a simulacrum of the Madonna, but later on it was extended thanks to the activity of lay families, who also handled its administration. In the first half of the 20th century, its custody passed to the diocese of Nuoro: the original building was demolished in 1976 and rebuilt in its current form.

Nostra Signora del Monte is one of the stops along La Via dei Santuari (Route of the Sanctuaries), through twenty novenas in the centre-north of the Island, from Cabras to Santa Teresa Gallura. You can also include it in an itinerary for discovering the archaeological and natural treasures of Fonni. A few steps away from the sanctuary, the remains of a nuraghe of the same name emerge, while the main evidence of the Bronze Age is found to the east, near the Correboi pass: the necropolis of Madau and the Nuragic Sanctuary of Gremanu. Along the way, on the right, the peaks of Monte Spada and Bruncu Spina stand out against the sky.

It is one of the most ‘technically’ well-finished nuraghi on the island, thanks to the level the Bronze Age builders reached when working and finishing the stone ashlars. The single-tower Nuraghe Corbos was built on a small hill seven kilometres from Silanus, between the plateau of the same name and the Ottana plain, in ana area dense with evidence dating back to the Nuragic age. You will see a truncated cone tower about twelve metres high, built using medium-sized skilfully-worked basalt blocks: in the first rows they are polygonal, while from the middle upwards they are roughly square-shaped and the exposed side is slightly convex.

The position of the architrave above the entrance is almost level with the walking surface. In fact, the collapsed stones have buried more than a metre of the tower. Nevertheless, access is possible through a breach on the west side, obtained by removing an ashlar, which leads to the staircase connecting the ground floor and the upper level.

In the access corridor you will notice the passageway niche and the staircase, lit up through three slits. The central chamber has a tholos vault and three niches positioned in the form of a cross. The staircase, a few rows of which still remain, led to the upper room that has a diameter of about three metres.

Traces of walls pertaining to the village emerge around the building. The area must have been frequented starting in the pre-Nuragic age: an isolated menhir, unusually made of granite, seems to bear witness to this, embedded in the ground about a hundred metres from the nuraghe in the north-easterly direction. At the same distance, but in the opposite direction, you will find the Corbos Giants’ Tomb. It is thought that it was a dolmen building, perhaps renovated at a later time. Also in the corridor of the tomb there is an ‘intruder’: one of the orthostates is made of granite. Next to the tomb you will see five baetyls, positioned irregularly and probably moved over time. Three hundred metres from the nuraghe are the remains of another Giants’ Tomb, called s’Abbaia. Traces of the funeral chamber, over eleven metres long, and of the right wing of the exedra still remain.

The territory of Silanus, a village belonging to the Borghi Autentici d’Italia club, is an open-air archaeological museum: it has more than 30 nuraghi, 19 Giants’ Tombs, five domus de Janas and a sacred well, as well as several fences and sacred fonts. Among the most significant are the Nuraghe Orolio (or Madrone), the Giants’ Tomb of Sa Pedra Longa – which is where the baetyls visible in the churchyard of the Church of San Lorenzo come from - and above all the complex of Santa Sabina, in which a nuraghe and a Byzantine church face each other a few dozen metres away.

It rivals the cemetery of Bonaria in Cagliari with its atmosphere and dark charm of the funeral works, so much so that it too is defined an ‘open-air museum’. Both also boast masterpieces created by the sculptor nicknamed ‘The Michelangelo of the dead’. The monumental cemetery of Iglesias extends close to the Church of Nostra Signora di Valverde, outside the city walls. It was inaugurated in 1835 and was extended several times starting from the second half of the 19th century, due to the progressive increase in population. The large central body is characterised by avenues with rows of cypress trees and Mediterranean plant species along the sides, creating quadrangular ‘islands’ and dedicated areas. One of these is delimited by what may be the best-known and most enchanting path, the ‘Viale dei Bambini’ (Avenue of the Children).

You will see statues and decorations in Art Nouveau and eclectic styles, also visible in the fences, urns and floral decorations, among which you will notice unusual symbolisms. The most famous work is the sepulchral monument of the little Zaira Deplano Pinna, known above all by the name of ‘Little Girl with a Hoop’. Daughter of a very well-known notary of the town, the little girl was stricken with acute meningitis, which ended her life at the tender age of six. The life-size statue portrays her sitting on a segment of a column. She is smiling and holding a hoop, her favourite pastime, which is made of bronze. Over time, dark legends arose around the tomb: it is said that the statue comes to life at midnight to play along the avenues and that the ghost wanders over the rooftops of the houses, every year on 2 November, in search of children who want to play with her, taking those who accept the invitation with her to the afterlife.

The work helped increase the fame of its author, sculptor Giuseppe Sartorio, who opened workshops in Cagliari and Sassari and created numerous works, now kept in the capital city and in various towns across the Island, as well as in the Verano cemetery in Rome. The cemetery of Iglesias contains 65 of them and the monument dedicated to Quintino Sella in the square of the same name in the city is also his work. Other sculptures by Sartorio are the funeral monuments of the Boldetti sisters and that of Domenica Antonietta Grimaldi, who also suffered a tragic fate.