Why this ride
A 240 km round trip from Cheremule - roughly 4 h 43 in the saddle. It goes by way of Necropolis of Mesu ‘e Montes, Necropolis of Puttu Codinu, Necropolis of Anghelu Ruju and back through Necropolis of Puttu Codinu.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Petroglyph Park-a and Necropolis of Anghelu Ruju
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 240 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 4 h 43
- 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.
Scenic road chapters
Sardinia Alghero to Bosa Coast Road
Expect company on a summer weekend. Early is better than fast. For about 39 km this is Sardinia Alghero to Bosa Coast Road, a road with a name of its own and a reason for it.
Chapter facts
- Length
- 39 km
- Named road
- Sardinia Alghero to Bosa Coast Road
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. 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 is where the day begins. Next is Necropolis of Mesu ‘e Montes.
2. 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 comes up about 39 km into the recorded legs. Next is Necropolis of Puttu Codinu.
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 81 km into the recorded legs you reach Necropolis of Puttu Codinu. Next is Necropolis of Anghelu Ruju.
4. Necropolis of Anghelu Ruju
Not far from Alghero, on the flat land behind the coast, lies the largest group of domus de janas in Sardinia. Anghelu Ruju is a necropolis of more than thirty rock-cut tombs, dug into the sandstone with stone tools around five thousand years ago and later reused for burials into the Bronze Age. The site was found in 1903 when workers were preparing land for a vineyard, and excavations revealed chambers with carved bull's horns, false doorways and painted ochre, together with pottery, figurines and personal ornaments now displayed in museums in Sassari and Cagliari. The bull motifs are thought to have been linked to fertility and protection, and they give these dim chambers a surprisingly powerful presence.
Read the complete Necropolis of Anghelu Ruju write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Necropolis of Anghelu Ruju, about halfway. Next is back through Necropolis of Puttu Codinu.
5. 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
back through Necropolis of Puttu Codinu sits at 108 km, about halfway. Next is back through Necropolis of Mesu ‘e Montes.
6. back through 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
back through Necropolis of Mesu ‘e Montes comes up about 201 km into the recorded legs. Next is Petroglyph Park-a.
7. 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
Petroglyph Park-a closes the day.
Leg by leg
Petroglyph Park-a to Necropolis of Mesu ‘e Montes
Petroglyph Park-a → Necropolis of Mesu ‘e Montes is 39 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Necropolis of Mesu ‘e Montes to Necropolis of Puttu Codinu
Necropolis of Mesu ‘e Montes → Necropolis of Puttu Codinu is 42 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Necropolis of Puttu Codinu to Necropolis of Anghelu Ruju
Necropolis of Puttu Codinu → Necropolis of Anghelu Ruju is 39 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Necropolis of Anghelu Ruju to back through Necropolis of Puttu Codinu
Necropolis of Anghelu Ruju → back through Necropolis of Puttu Codinu is 39 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Necropolis of Puttu Codinu to back through Necropolis of Mesu ‘e Montes
back through Necropolis of Puttu Codinu → back through Necropolis of Mesu ‘e Montes is 42 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Necropolis of Mesu ‘e Montes to Petroglyph Park-a
back through Necropolis of Mesu ‘e Montes → Petroglyph Park-a is 38 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.