The Barbagia in 4 days: a slow itinerary through the villages of inland Sardinia
A 4-day itinerary through the villages of the Barbagia: the Supramonte, murals, mamuthones, nuraghi and Sardinian cuisine, far from the coasts.
Anyone who thinks of Sardinia as a row of beaches is missing half the island. An itinerary through the villages of the Barbagia, in the mountainous heart of the interior, tells of a Sardinia made of granite, cannonau and ritual masks. Four days are the minimum to move at ease between Nuoro, the Supramonte and the plateaus, alternating villages, nuragic sites and walks. Ideal base: Oliena or Dorgali, well connected and right up against the mountains. The best time is spring or early autumn, when temperatures allow you to walk; those travelling between January and February will instead find the ancestral carnivals.
The itinerary day by day
**Day 1 — Nuoro, Orgosolo and Mamoiada.** We start from Nuoro, city of Grazia Deledda, with the Museo del Costume and the MAN for twentieth-century Sardinian art. Twenty minutes away is Orgosolo, famous for its murals: more than 150 paintings that since the postwar years have recounted peasant struggles, anti-militarism and international news on the walls of the houses. In the afternoon, Mamoiada, home of the Mamuthones and the Issohadores: the Museo delle Maschere Mediterranee explains the winter rites tied to the cycles of the land, which parade on 17 January for Sant'Antonio Abate. Dinner of culurgiones and roast suckling pig, washed down with the local cannonau.
**Day 2 — The Supramonte and Tiscali.** The second day is devoted to nature. From Oliena, at the foot of Monte Corrasi, you reach the karst spring of Su Gologone, the largest on the island. From here the star hike sets off: Tiscali, the nuragic village inside a sinkhole of the Supramonte, a settlement hidden in the belly of a mountain, reachable only on foot in about three hours there and back. Those who prefer wide-open spaces can head for the Gola di Gorropu, one of the deepest canyons in Europe, with limestone walls up to 500 metres high carved by the Flumineddu.
Towards the Logudoro
**Day 3 — The stone slope and the Logudoro.** You climb north, into a harsher, little-frequented Sardinia. A stop at Lula and Monte Albo, the limestone mountain where the sea is only an echo, to understand how much the interior lives on shepherding rather than tourism. Continuing towards the Logudoro you come to the hypogeal necropolis of Sant'Andrea Priu, carved into the rock near Bonorva, with its famous tomb later turned into a rock church. A short distance away, two Romanesque jewels: Saccargia, the black-and-white striped cathedral in the middle of the countryside and San Pietro di Sorres, suspended over the Borutta plateau. Overnight between Gavoi and Fonni, granite villages known for Fiore Sardo cheese and for the L'Isola delle Storie literary festival.
**Day 4 — Nuragic civilisation and the return west.** The last day closes the loop on Sardinian prehistory in the Oristano area. Not to be missed is the Sacred Well of Santa Cristina, a masterpiece of nuragic water geometry at Paulilatino, with the staircase descending towards the spring with astronomical precision. Not far away, on the Abbasanta plateau, rises the Nuraghe Losa, a keep of black basalt among the best preserved on the island. Those with time can descend to the Sinis coast and visit Tharros, the Phoenician-Roman city crumbling into the sea at Cabras: a finale that stitches interior and coastline back together.
An Ogliastra variant
**A southern variant, the Ogliastra.** Those with an extra day, or who want a more southerly loop, can detour towards Ulassai, the village perched among the red limestone of the Ogliastra tacchi, tied to the artist Maria Lai, and complete the archaeological journey with the Domus de Janas of Montessu, the necropolis carved into an amphitheatre of rock.
Practical tips
**Practical tips.** A car is indispensable: internal public transport is sparse. Book the guides for Tiscali and Gorropu, where access is regulated. At the table look for pane carasau, pistoccu, culurgiones and the wines of Mamoiada, Oliena and Dorgali. Travelling slowly here means accepting the rhythm of the villages: shops closed in the afternoon, sudden festivals, shepherds pointing the way. That is exactly what makes the Barbagia an itinerary unlike any other corner of the island.
Practical guides for Roma
Practical info
When is the best time to visit The Barbagia in 4 days?
The recommended time is April, May, June, September and October, when it is less crowded.
Where is The Barbagia in 4 days?
The Barbagia in 4 days is located in Italy.
