Sardinia is covered in small rock-cut tombs called domus de janas, the houses of the fairies, or of the witches depending on who tells the story. They were carved into soft rock by the island's Neolithic and Copper Age communities, more than five thousand years ago, and there are thousands of them, from single chambers to complex underground houses for the dead. The necropolis of Monte Siseri, near the village of Putifigari in the hills behind Alghero, includes the tomb known as S'Incantu, the enchantment, one of the most elaborate on the island. Its chambers imitate the interior of a house, with carved details such as roof beams, pillars and doorways, and traces of red and black paint that once decorated the walls. The domus de janas have recently joined the UNESCO World Heritage list, a long-overdue recognition of Sardinian prehistory.
The landscape is the rolling, rocky interior of northwest Sardinia, with cork oaks, olive groves, Mediterranean scrub and pastures grazed by sheep. It smells of myrtle, cistus and wild fennel, especially after rain. Putifigari, Uri and Olmedo are small agricultural villages, quiet and welcoming.
Alghero, on the coast about eleven kilometres away, is a fortified town with an unusual history. It was conquered by the Crown of Aragon in the fourteenth century and repopulated with Catalans, and to this day a dialect of Catalan is spoken in its streets, with street signs in both languages. The old town, with its sea walls, towers and narrow lanes, is beautiful, and the seafood, especially lobster cooked Alghero style, is famous.
The riding in northwest Sardinia is varied and rewarding. The coast road from Alghero south to Bosa is one of the most spectacular in the Mediterranean, running high above the sea along cliffs, with long bends, few villages and views over a wild coastline. Inland, the roads through the hills are quieter, with gentle curves through cork forests and farmland. The wind, especially the mistral from the northwest, can be strong, and summer heat is intense.
Alghero has fuel and every service, and Uri and Olmedo have stations too. Try the local cheeses, pecorino in particular, and the pane carasau, the thin, crisp flatbread of Sardinian shepherds, with a glass of Cannonau, the island's red wine, in the evening.