Domus de janas of Orto del Beneficio Parro and Necropolis of Monte Siseri/S'Incantu

Scenic road chapters

Waypoint introductions and full write-ups

1. 1. Domus de janas of Orto del Beneficio Parro

   Most prehistoric tombs in Sardinia sit out in the countryside behind a gate and a dirt track. The domus de janas of Orto del Beneficio Parrocchiale are different: they are in Sennori itself, a few steps from the houses, carved into the soft limestone in what was once, as the name suggests, a garden belonging to the parish. A handful of chambers opens out of the rock, small rooms with low doorways, the work of Neolithic farmers who lived on this ridge thousands of years before anyone thought of building a church here.

   Read the complete Domus de janas of Orto del Beneficio Parro write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Domus de janas of Orto del Beneficio Parro is where the day begins. Next is Necropolis of Su Crucifissu Mannu.

2. 2. Necropolis of Su Crucifissu Mannu

   Sardinians call them domus de janas, houses of the fairies, and when you crouch at the entrance of one you understand the name. They are tombs cut straight into the soft limestone by the island's Neolithic and Copper Age people, small chambers linked by low doorways, sometimes with carved false doors or bull horns on the walls. The necropolis of Su Crucifissu Mannu, just inland from Porto Torres, holds a couple of dozen of them scattered across a low rocky plateau among fields and scrub, one of the largest groups in the north of the island.

   Read the complete Necropolis of Su Crucifissu Mannu write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Necropolis of Su Crucifissu Mannu comes up 25 km in. Next is Necropolis of Anghelu Ruju.

3. 3. Necropolis of Anghelu Ruju

   Not far from Alghero, on the flat land behind the coast, lies the largest group of domus de janas in Sardinia. Anghelu Ruju is a necropolis of more than thirty rock-cut tombs, dug into the sandstone with stone tools around five thousand years ago and later reused for burials into the Bronze Age. The site was found in 1903 when workers were preparing land for a vineyard, and excavations revealed chambers with carved bull's horns, false doorways and painted ochre, together with pottery, figurines and personal ornaments now displayed in museums in Sassari and Cagliari. The bull motifs are thought to have been linked to fertility and protection, and they give these dim chambers a surprisingly powerful presence.

   Read the complete Necropolis of Anghelu Ruju write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   50 km in you reach Necropolis of Anghelu Ruju. Next is Necropolis of Puttu Codinu.

4. 4. Necropolis of Puttu Codinu

   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.

   Read the complete Necropolis of Puttu Codinu write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Necropolis of Puttu Codinu, about halfway. Next is Necropolis of Monte Siseri/S'Incantu.

5. 5. Necropolis of Monte Siseri/S'Incantu

   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.

   Read the complete Necropolis of Monte Siseri/S'Incantu write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Necropolis of Monte Siseri/S'Incantu sits at 99 km, about halfway. Next is back through Necropolis of Puttu Codinu.

6. 6. back through Necropolis of Puttu Codinu

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Necropolis of Puttu Codinu write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   back through Necropolis of Puttu Codinu comes up 124 km in. Next is back through Necropolis of Anghelu Ruju.

7. 7. back through Necropolis of Anghelu Ruju

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Necropolis of Anghelu Ruju write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   149 km in you reach back through Necropolis of Anghelu Ruju. Next is back through Necropolis of Su Crucifissu Mannu.

8. 8. back through Necropolis of Su Crucifissu Mannu

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Necropolis of Su Crucifissu Mannu write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   back through Necropolis of Su Crucifissu Mannu, late in the day. Next is Domus de janas of Orto del Beneficio Parro.

9. 9. Domus de janas of Orto del Beneficio Parro

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Domus de janas of Orto del Beneficio Parro write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   The route ends here after 240 km.