Necropolis of Ispiluncas and Domus de janas of Orto del Beneficio Parro
Plan this ride
Recorded distance
321 km
Riding-time estimate
6 h 10
Journey
Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
Ordered leg totals agree within rounding. Stop distances are approximate sums of rounded legs. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
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Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
321 km from Sedilo to Sedilo, about 6 h 10 of riding. The stops in between: Necropolis of Sa Pala Larga, Necropolis of Puttu Codinu, Domus de janas of Orto del Beneficio Parro and back through Necropolis of Puttu Codinu. The line favours views over speed.
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Necropolis of Ispiluncas
In central Sardinia, on a slope above the village of Sedilo, a cluster of rock-cut tombs opens into the hillside like a row of small dark doorways. These are domus de janas, "houses of the fairies" in the local language, burial chambers carved into the soft rock by the island's prehistoric inhabitants several thousand years ago. Ispiluncas is one of the larger groups, with tombs of varied plans, some with multiple chambers and carved details imitating the beams and doorframes of houses. In 2025 the domus de janas were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list, recognising one of the most distinctive funerary traditions in the Mediterranean.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Necropolis of Ispiluncas is where the day begins. Next is Necropolis of Sa Pala Larga.
2. Necropolis of Sa Pala Larga
Bonorva sits on the edge of a high plateau in central-northern Sardinia, a town of grey stone looking out over the plain of Santa Lucia. Around it, the land is dotted with prehistoric remains, and the necropolis of Sa Pala Larga is one of several groups of domus de janas cut into the rock in this area. The rock-cut tombs are older than the nuraghi, and many have intricate interiors.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Necropolis of Sa Pala Larga comes up about 57 km into the recorded legs. Next is Necropolis of Puttu Codinu.
3. 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.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 105 km into the recorded legs you reach Necropolis of Puttu Codinu. Next is Domus de janas of Orto del Beneficio Parro.
4. 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.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Necropolis of Ispiluncas closes the day.
Leg by leg
Necropolis of Ispiluncas to Necropolis of Sa Pala Larga
Necropolis of Ispiluncas → Necropolis of Sa Pala Larga is 57 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Necropolis of Sa Pala Larga to Necropolis of Puttu Codinu
Necropolis of Sa Pala Larga → Necropolis of Puttu Codinu is 48 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Necropolis of Puttu Codinu to Domus de janas of Orto del Beneficio Parro
Necropolis of Puttu Codinu → Domus de janas of Orto del Beneficio Parro is 54 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Domus de janas of Orto del Beneficio Parro to back through Necropolis of Puttu Codinu
Domus de janas of Orto del Beneficio Parro → back through Necropolis of Puttu Codinu is 53 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Necropolis of Puttu Codinu to back through Necropolis of Sa Pala Larga
back through Necropolis of Puttu Codinu → back through Necropolis of Sa Pala Larga is 51 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Necropolis of Sa Pala Larga to Necropolis of Ispiluncas
back through Necropolis of Sa Pala Larga → Necropolis of Ispiluncas is 58 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.