Why this ride
304 km from Mamoiada to Mamoiada, about 6 h 44 of riding. On the way it passes Necropolis of Brodu, Necropolis of Sos Furrighesos, Necropolis of Sant'Andrea Priu and Petroglyph Park-a.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Necropolis of Istevéne and Petroglyph Park-a
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 304 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 6 h 44
- 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 Istevéne
In Sardinian folklore, the little rock-cut tombs scattered across the island were the homes of janas, tiny fairies or witches who wove on golden looms and came out at night. Archaeologists call them domus de janas, fairy houses, and date them to the Neolithic and Copper Age, thousands of years before the famous nuraghi towers. The necropolis of Istevéne, near Mamoiada in the heart of the Barbagia, is a group of these chambers cut into the granite, some with carved details imitating the beams and doorways of real houses, and it belongs among the prehistoric Sardinian tombs that have gained UNESCO recognition.
Read the complete Necropolis of Istevéne write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Necropolis of Istevéne is where the day begins. Next is Necropolis of Brodu.
2. 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
Necropolis of Brodu comes up about 28 km into the recorded legs. Next is Necropolis of Sos Furrighesos.
3. Necropolis of Sos Furrighesos
In the Goceano hills of north-central Sardinia, a low cliff of pale volcanic rock above the village of Anela hides one of the island's more striking prehistoric cemeteries. Sos Furrighesos is a cluster of domus de janas, the rock-cut tombs whose Sardinian name means houses of the fairies, carved into the face of the stone by Neolithic farmers some five thousand years ago. Some of the chambers are simple niches; others open into several rooms, and a few still carry carved reliefs of bull horns, a symbol you meet again and again in Sardinian prehistory.
Read the complete Necropolis of Sos Furrighesos write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 98 km into the recorded legs you reach Necropolis of Sos Furrighesos. 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 Petroglyph Park-a.
5. Petroglyph Park-a
The north-west of Sardinia is a country of low volcanic hills, pasture, cork oak and stone, and the villages of the Logudoro are small, quiet and far older than they look. This area, around Cheremule and Giave, is dotted with traces of a world that predates the Romans by a very long time. The island's prehistoric people carved tombs into soft rock, the domus de janas, which translates as fairy houses, and built round stone towers called nuraghi, of which there are thousands.
Read the complete Petroglyph Park-a write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Petroglyph Park-a sits at 90 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 172 km into the recorded legs. Next is back through Necropolis of Sos Furrighesos.
7. back through Necropolis of Sos Furrighesos
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Necropolis of Sos Furrighesos write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 204 km into the recorded legs you reach back through Necropolis of Sos Furrighesos. Next is back through Necropolis of Brodu.
8. 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
back through Necropolis of Brodu, late in the day. Next is Necropolis of Istevéne.
9. Necropolis of Istevéne
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Necropolis of Istevéne 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 304 km.
Leg by leg
Necropolis of Istevéne to Necropolis of Brodu
Necropolis of Istevéne → Necropolis of Brodu is 28 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Necropolis of Brodu to Necropolis of Sos Furrighesos
Necropolis of Brodu → Necropolis of Sos Furrighesos is 70 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Necropolis of Sos Furrighesos to Necropolis of Sant'Andrea Priu
Necropolis of Sos Furrighesos → Necropolis of Sant'Andrea Priu is 31 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Necropolis of Sant'Andrea Priu to Petroglyph Park-a
Necropolis of Sant'Andrea Priu → Petroglyph Park-a is 22 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Petroglyph Park-a to back through Necropolis of Sant'Andrea Priu
Petroglyph Park-a → back through Necropolis of Sant'Andrea Priu is 21 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 Sos Furrighesos
back through Necropolis of Sant'Andrea Priu → back through Necropolis of Sos Furrighesos is 32 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Necropolis of Sos Furrighesos to back through Necropolis of Brodu
back through Necropolis of Sos Furrighesos → back through Necropolis of Brodu is 70 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Necropolis of Brodu to Necropolis of Istevéne
back through Necropolis of Brodu → Necropolis of Istevéne is 30 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.