Necropolis of Mesu ‘e Montes and Necropolis of Sant'Andrea Priu

Scenic road chapters

Waypoint introductions and full write-ups

1. 1. Necropolis of Mesu ‘e Montes

   Inland from Sassari, the Logudoro is a country of limestone ridges, small towns of honey-coloured stone and fields enclosed by dry walls, and in its folds lies the necropolis of Mesu 'e Montes, near the villages of Ossi, Muros and Florinas. It is a group of domus de janas, the rock-cut tombs of Sardinia's prehistoric farmers, some of them richly decorated with carved pillars, false doors and the stylised bull horns that seem to have been a symbol of protection or power.

   Read the complete Necropolis of Mesu ‘e Montes write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

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

   Planning note

   Necropolis of Mesu ‘e Montes is where the day begins. Next is Necropolis of Monte Siseri/S'Incantu.

2. 2. 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 comes up about 28 km into the recorded legs. Next is Necropolis of Puttu Codinu.

3. 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.

   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

   about 50 km into the recorded legs you reach Necropolis of Puttu Codinu. Next is Petroglyph Park-a.

4. 4. 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, about halfway. Next is Necropolis of Sant'Andrea Priu.

5. 5. 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 sits at 83 km, about halfway. Next is back through Petroglyph Park-a.

6. 6. back through Petroglyph Park-a

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   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

   back through Petroglyph Park-a comes up about 130 km into the recorded legs. Next is back through Necropolis of Puttu Codinu.

7. 7. 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

   about 163 km into the recorded legs you reach back through Necropolis of Puttu Codinu. Next is back through Necropolis of Monte Siseri/S'Incantu.

8. 8. back through Necropolis of Monte Siseri/S'Incantu

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   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

   back through Necropolis of Monte Siseri/S'Incantu, late in the day. Next is Necropolis of Mesu ‘e Montes.

9. 9. Necropolis of Mesu ‘e Montes

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Necropolis of Mesu ‘e Montes 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 212 km.