Necropolis of Montessu and Necropolis of Ispiluncas

Waypoint introductions and full write-ups

1. 1. Necropolis of Montessu

   The Sulcis, in the south-west of Sardinia, is a landscape of cork oaks, bare hills and old mines, and Montessu lies in a quiet corner of it. The necropolis here is a cliff of pale trachyte rock, pierced by dozens of small chambers cut out by hand more than five thousand years ago. The Sardinians call such tombs domus de janas, houses of the fairies, and the name suits them: little rooms with doorways, ceilings and carved details like beams and, in a few, the spiral and horned symbols of a religion we only half understand. The site is managed locally, and opening arrangements vary, so check before you go.

   Read the complete Necropolis of Montessu write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

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

   Planning note

   Necropolis of Montessu is where the day begins. Next is Su Nuraxi di Barumini.

2. 2. Su Nuraxi di Barumini

   Nobody quite knew what lay under the mound outside Barumini until the 1950s, when the archaeologist Giovanni Lilliu, himself a native of the village, began to dig. What emerged was the most complete nuragic complex on Sardinia: a central stone tower built in the Bronze Age, later surrounded by a bastion with four corner towers and an outer wall, and beyond that the remains of a village of round huts. Su Nuraxi was added to the UNESCO World Heritage list in 1997, and it remains the best place on the island to understand the nuragic civilisation, which left thousands of these towers across Sardinia.

   Read the complete Su Nuraxi di Barumini write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

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

   Planning note

   Su Nuraxi di Barumini comes up 81 km in. Next is Necropolis of Ispiluncas.

3. 3. 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

   163 km in you reach Necropolis of Ispiluncas. Next is back through Su Nuraxi di Barumini.

4. 4. back through Su Nuraxi di Barumini

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Su Nuraxi di Barumini write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

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

   Planning note

   back through Su Nuraxi di Barumini, late in the day. Next is Necropolis of Montessu.

5. 5. Necropolis of Montessu

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Necropolis of Montessu write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

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

   Planning note

   Back at Necropolis of Montessu. That is the ride.