Why this ride
413 km from Sedilo to Sedilo, about 8 h 30 of riding. The stops in between: Necropolis of Sa Pala Larga, Necropolis of Brodu, Necropolis of Sant'Andrea Priu and Necropolis of Puttu Codinu. A steady touring day rather than a sprint.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Necropolis of Ispiluncas and Necropolis of Puttu Codinu
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 413 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 8 h 30
- 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.
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 Necropolis of Brodu.
3. Necropolis of Brodu
Barbagia is the rugged heart of Sardinia, a land of granite hills, shepherds and fiercely held traditions, and on its western edge, near the village of Oniferi, the rock-cut tombs of Brodu are among the most elaborate on the island. Like other domus de janas, these chambers were carved into the stone by the people of the Neolithic Ozieri culture and later, but here several of them have carved decoration inside: false doors, imitation roof beams and, in some, the curved horn motifs that are thought to represent the bull, a symbol of strength and fertility that appears again and again in Sardinian prehistory.
Read the complete Necropolis of Brodu write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 111 km into the recorded legs you reach Necropolis of Brodu. Next is Necropolis of Sant'Andrea Priu.
4. Necropolis of Sant'Andrea Priu
Four or five thousand years ago, people on the high plateau of Campo di Santa Lucia in Sardinia carved a whole apartment of rooms into a cliff of soft volcanic rock, to house their dead. The Sardinians call these rock-cut tombs domus de janas, houses of the fairies, and Sant'Andrea Priu, near Bonorva, has some of the most remarkable. The largest, known as the Tomba del Capo, has a series of chambers whose walls and ceilings imitate the beams and pillars of a real house. Centuries later, in the early Christian and Byzantine period, it was converted into a church and its walls were painted with frescoes, some of which survive.
Read the complete Necropolis of Sant'Andrea Priu write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Necropolis of Sant'Andrea Priu, about halfway. Next is Necropolis of Puttu Codinu.
5. 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 sits at 154 km, about halfway. Next is back through Necropolis of Sant'Andrea Priu.
6. back through Necropolis of Sant'Andrea Priu
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Necropolis of Sant'Andrea Priu 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 Sant'Andrea Priu comes up about 249 km into the recorded legs. Next is back through Necropolis of Brodu.
7. back through Necropolis of Brodu
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Necropolis of Brodu write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 305 km into the recorded legs you reach back through Necropolis of Brodu. 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 413 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 Necropolis of Brodu
Necropolis of Sa Pala Larga → Necropolis of Brodu is 54 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Necropolis of Brodu to Necropolis of Sant'Andrea Priu
Necropolis of Brodu → Necropolis of Sant'Andrea Priu is 50 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Necropolis of Sant'Andrea Priu to Necropolis of Puttu Codinu
Necropolis of Sant'Andrea Priu → Necropolis of Puttu Codinu is 44 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Necropolis of Puttu Codinu to back through Necropolis of Sant'Andrea Priu
Necropolis of Puttu Codinu → back through Necropolis of Sant'Andrea Priu is 44 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Necropolis of Sant'Andrea Priu to back through Necropolis of Brodu
back through Necropolis of Sant'Andrea Priu → back through Necropolis of Brodu is 56 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Necropolis of Brodu to back through Necropolis of Sa Pala Larga
back through Necropolis of Brodu → back through Necropolis of Sa Pala Larga is 49 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.