On the side of the main road below Castelsardo, in northern Sardinia, a huge reddish rock stands alone at a bend, and it really does look like an elephant, trunk lowered, as if about to drink. It is a block of volcanic trachyte that broke away from the hills above and was sculpted by wind and rain into its strange shape. What most passing drivers miss is that its base was used long before anyone thought of elephants: two prehistoric tombs, domus de janas, were cut into the rock in the Neolithic period, and in one of them carved horn shapes, the symbol of the bull, can still be made out.
The area around is called the Anglona, a region of low volcanic hills, cork oaks, pastures and small villages between the Gulf of Asinara and the Coghinas valley. Castelsardo, a few kilometres away, is one of the most striking towns in Sardinia: a medieval citadel piled on a rocky promontory above the sea, founded by the Genoese Doria family, later held by the Aragonese and named for them Castillo Aragonés before it took its present name. The castle houses a museum of woven baskets, a craft the town's women still practise, and you will see their work for sale in the lanes.
The roads here are a pleasure. The SS134 runs past the elephant and links up with the coast road, which runs along the gulf towards Valledoria and Isola Rossa, with sea views and quick, flowing bends. Inland, roads to Sedini, Bulzi and Perfugas twist through the hills, with small Romanesque churches standing alone in the countryside. The mistral, the strong north-west wind, can blow hard across the gulf and push you around on exposed stretches, and the coastal road gets busy in August.
There is a small parking area at the rock and usually someone selling local products in season, but no other facilities. Castelsardo has fuel, shops and plenty of restaurants, and is the natural base; Sennori and Sorso, further west towards Sassari, are larger towns. Eat seafood in Castelsardo, perhaps lobster in the Catalan style, and if you have time, visit the beach at Lu Bagnu just below the town for a swim before riding on.