Domus de janas means houses of the fairies, and that is what Sardinians called the small chambers cut into rock faces across the island, believing them to be the homes of tiny supernatural women. They are in fact tombs, carved out by the island's Neolithic and Copper Age people some five thousand years ago, often with rooms arranged like houses, carved doorways, false roof beams and symbols such as bulls' horns. The necropolis of Puttu Codinu, near Villanova Monteleone in north-west Sardinia, is a group of these tombs cut into a low limestone outcrop amid fields and scrub, one of thousands across the island.
The tombs are small and simple from outside, but crawl inside one and the care of the carving is striking, with the walls smoothed and the doorways framed. Some have been reused over thousands of years, and finds from them are in the archaeological museums at Sassari and Alghero. Look for the signs from the road, and take a torch.
Villanova Monteleone is a hill village of over two thousand people, with stone houses on a ridge between the Temo valley and the sea, and on a clear day you can see the coast and the Capo Caccia headland from the village. The road from here down to Alghero winds through cork oak forests, olive groves and pastures, a lovely ride with little traffic. Lake Temo, a reservoir to the east, is a quiet place surrounded by woods.
The great ride in this area is the coast road between Alghero and Bosa, the SP105, which runs along cliffs high above the sea for some forty kilometres, with almost no buildings, sweeping views and griffon vultures overhead. It is one of the finest coastal roads in Italy, and it can be windy. Fuel and supplies are available in Villanova Monteleone, Ittiri and Alghero, and the local food includes roast suckling pig, pecorino, and the seafood of Alghero, especially lobster. Spring and autumn are perfect, while summer brings heat and crowds on the coast.