Why this ride
281 km from Sedilo to Sedilo, about 6 h 02 of riding. It goes by way of Necropolis of Sa Pala Larga, Petroglyph Park-b, Necropolis of Puttu Codinu and Necropolis of Monte Siseri/S'Incantu.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Necropolis of Ispiluncas and Necropolis of Monte Siseri/S'Incantu
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 281 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 6 h 02
- 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.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Scenic road chapters
Sardinia Alghero to Bosa Coast Road
Expect company on a summer weekend. Early is better than fast. For about 27 km this is Sardinia Alghero to Bosa Coast Road, a road with a name of its own and a reason for it.
Chapter facts
- Length
- 27 km
- Named road
- Sardinia Alghero to Bosa Coast Road
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.
Read the complete Necropolis of Ispiluncas write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
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.
Read the complete Necropolis of Sa Pala Larga write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
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 Petroglyph Park-b.
3. Petroglyph Park-b
The Logudoro in northern Sardinia is a high, rolling country of basalt plateaus and the worn cones of extinct volcanoes, where cork oaks and wild olives stand in dry pasture and every second hill seems to have a ruined nuraghe on it. Petroglyph Park-b lies near the small villages of Cheremule, Giave and Torralba, in an area where the rock itself was used as an archive, carved into tombs and marked with symbols by people who lived here thousands of years before Rome.
Read the complete Petroglyph Park-b write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 83 km into the recorded legs you reach Petroglyph Park-b. Next is Necropolis of Puttu Codinu.
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. 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 102 km, about halfway. Next is back through Necropolis of Puttu Codinu.
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 about 166 km into the recorded legs. Next is back through Petroglyph Park-b.
7. back through Petroglyph Park-b
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Petroglyph Park-b write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 202 km into the recorded legs you reach back through Petroglyph Park-b. Next is back through Necropolis of Sa Pala Larga.
8. back through Necropolis of Sa Pala Larga
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Necropolis of Sa Pala Larga 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 Sa Pala Larga, late in the day. Next is Necropolis of Ispiluncas.
9. Necropolis of Ispiluncas
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Necropolis of Ispiluncas 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 281 km.
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 Petroglyph Park-b
Necropolis of Sa Pala Larga → Petroglyph Park-b is 26 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Petroglyph Park-b to Necropolis of Puttu Codinu
Petroglyph Park-b → Necropolis of Puttu Codinu is 34 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Necropolis of Puttu Codinu to Necropolis of Monte Siseri/S'Incantu
Necropolis of Puttu Codinu → Necropolis of Monte Siseri/S'Incantu is 27 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Necropolis of Monte Siseri/S'Incantu to back through Necropolis of Puttu Codinu
Necropolis of Monte Siseri/S'Incantu → back through Necropolis of Puttu Codinu is 22 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Necropolis of Puttu Codinu to back through Petroglyph Park-b
back through Necropolis of Puttu Codinu → back through Petroglyph Park-b is 36 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Petroglyph Park-b to back through Necropolis of Sa Pala Larga
back through Petroglyph Park-b → back through Necropolis of Sa Pala Larga is 20 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.