Necropolis of Montessu and Necropolis of Istevéne

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 about 87 km into the recorded legs. Next is Necropolis of Mandras.

3. 3. Necropolis of Mandras

   Cut into a slope of volcanic rock above the valley of the Tirso, near the village of Ardauli in central Sardinia, the Necropolis of Mandras is a cluster of prehistoric tombs that the Sardinians call domus de janas, houses of the fairies or witches. They were carved out of the rock with stone tools by farming communities, mostly in the late Neolithic, and some of the chambers imitate the inside of a house, with carved beams, doorways and pillars. Folklore said they were built by tiny women who wove gold at night, and in a sense the name says more about how ancient they felt to later generations than any date could.

   Read the complete Necropolis of Mandras write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

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

   Planning note

   about 155 km into the recorded legs you reach Necropolis of Mandras. Next is Necropolis of Istevéne.

4. 4. 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, about halfway. Next is back through Necropolis of Mandras.

5. 5. back through Necropolis of Mandras

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Necropolis of Mandras 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 Mandras sits at 257 km, about halfway. Next is back through Su Nuraxi di Barumini.

6. 6. 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 comes up about 367 km into the recorded legs. Next is Necropolis of Montessu.

7. 7. 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

   Necropolis of Montessu closes the day.