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The nuraghes

Nuragic structure – a nuraghe

Since the first time we heard about the ancient cultures of the Ozieri and the Nuragic civilizations, who used to live on the island of Sardinia, we knew the remains of their imposing buildings, temples and burial sites would be the highlights of our road trip in North Sardinia. One of the symbols of Sardinia is the nuraghe – a circular tower built by the Nuragic civilization around 3,500 years ago. You can use your imagination to guess what they were used for, because historians have no idea – only hypotheses (military bases, ruler’s residences, religious spots etc.). There are more than 700 nuraghes left on the island and you will see many brown signs pointing to them while you drive. Visit one (or several) and feel the ancient vibes they exude. Some of the best-preserved examples in the northern part of Sardinia are Palmavera (near Alghero) and Nuraghe Santu Antine (near Torralba).

Alghero: the Catalonian city

Alghero, Sardinia

This is the most Spanish city in Sardinia – it was colonized by Catalonians in the 16^th century and has maintained this special atmosphere ever since. The old town of Alghero is encompassed by a historic citadel with imposing towers and gates, some of them turned into museums or accessible for panorama-lovers to take a look at the roofs of Alghero from above.

Detour idea: Hop on a boat from Alghero’s port and visit Neptune’s grotto, which hides a massive salt lake in its bowels. Boats leave several times a day.

The fairy houses: Necropolis of Anghelu Ruju

One of the highlights of our trip – the Necropolis of Anghelu Ruju (pronounced An-gheh-loo Roo-you) – is a complex of 5000-year-old, underground, rock-hewn tombs that you can explore and even enter (if you feel comfortable in narrow spaces!). For many years the locals, being unable to imagine how these hollow rocks had appeared, believed they were the houses of fairies, and that’s how they named them: domus de janas (homes of fairies). There’s a very fairy feeling here, though the site is actually an ancient graveyard. Who knows, maybe tourists will walk on and wonder about our graves some 2000 years from now.

Read more about Anghelu Ruju.

Sassari: the city of the nine giant candles

Sassari, Sardinia | © Maria Angelova/www.203challenges.com

If you can be in Sassari on 14 and 15 August, you will witness a particularly quirky Sardinian festival: Candelieri, when nine gigantic wooden candles pass through the city in a solemn procession to honor the Virgin Mary, who saved the city from the plague. The old part of Sassari is quiet and inhabited mainly by lazy cats who, on a hot summer day, won’t even make the effort to turn their heads in your direction. For a good chat and a creative atmosphere, sit and sip a coffee at one of the student cafes around the university (in the city center).

Basilica della Santissima Trinità di Saccargia

Basilica della Santissima Trinità di Saccargia, Sardinia | © Maria Angelova/www.203challenges.com

We had no intention of visiting this basilica, but the contrasting black basalt and white limestone facade blazing in the sun forced us to pull over by the road. If it reminds you of Tuscany, that’s no surprise because it was built in Tuscan Romanesque style. It’s a 30-km (18-mi) drive from Sassari on the way to Ozieri and Thiesi (see the map above).

Sant Andrea Priu Necropolis near Bonorva

Sant Andrea Priu Necropolis near Bonorva, Sardinia | © Maria Angelova/www.203challenges.com

You might feel like you’ve seen too many burial sites already, but this one is worth the road traveled (plus the route cuts between scenic hills and plains). One of the domus de janas (remember, the fairy houses = ancient rock tombs) at Sant Andrea Priu Necropolis, the Tomb of the Chief, looks like a 5000-year-old luxury apartment with its 18 rooms sheltered in a cave. Near the main group of rock chambers, there is a headless stone bull believed to represent one of the gods of the Ozieri culture.

Thiesi: a random stop with beautiful street art

Thiesi, Sardinia | © Maria Angelova/www.203challenges.com

There was one time when we had been driving for so many hours and got so hungry that we started imagining each other as hot dogs. So we stopped in the first town – Thiesi – where according to the old traveler’s tradition all restaurants were closed. After all, it was before 4 pm and Italians take their resting time seriously. We rambled through the streets, discovered some amazing murals and finally stopped at the only bar open at the time, where we were the only customers and were fed with the last two sandwiches available. That’s what I call luck!

Ozieri and the San Michele cave

Ozieri, Sardinia | © Maria Angelova/www.203challenges.com

We visited the town of Ozieri with the intention to see the San Michele cave, known for its domus de janas and some ancient rituals that took place there. Unfortunately, it was closed that day and we had to go on.

Detour idea: Nuoro, the literature town. We didn’t have enough time to go to Nuoro but if you do, plan a stop here – it’s one of the cultural hubs in Sardinia. It also contains the house of Grazia Deledda, a writer who received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1926 for her exquisite texts describing life in Sardinia (if you want to fully immerse yourself in island life, read some of her works before you hit the road).

Olbia: the happy town

Olbia, Sardinia | © Maria Angelova/www.203challenges.com

The Ancient Greeks called Olbia ‘The Happy Town’ and all the tourists practicing dolce far niente (literally translated as ‘sweet doing nothing’) did indeed look happy. Olbia is a port with laid-back cafes and plenty of cork tree souvenirs (you will see the cork trees while you drive).

Detour idea: La Maddalena is probably the most beautiful archipelago in Sardinia – with unreal blue water and myriads of tiny rocky islands accessible by boat tours, it creates the perfect atmosphere to lay back, bask in the sunshine and imagine you are Robinson Crusoe. Or how does a lonely island picnic sound? The resort area of Costa Smeralda is just a stone’s throw away if you need a few days of concentrated sun intake.

Necropolis of Li Muri: the ancient stone circles

Li Muri in Sardinia | © Maria Angelova/www.203challenges.com

This late Neolithic funeral dolmen will remind you of other stone circles seen all over Europe. Follow the brown road signs and you will reach a small widening of the road, where you can park and climb a shaky wooden ladder to get across a barbed wire fence. We weren’t sure if this was really legal, but why would they put the ladder there if you were not supposed to use it to trespass on someone’s private property?

Santa Teresa Gallura: the gate to Corsica island

Santa Teresa Gallura, Sardinia

This city was founded in 1808 as a base to cope with the large numbers of smugglers landing on the island, whereas today only tourists from Corsica set foot here. Climb the city’s highest tower – Torre di Longonsardo – for the best view around, and if you haven’t visited the island of Corsica yet, take the ferry (one hour) for a day trip.

Detour idea: If you want to stay longer, Spiaggia di Rena Bianca is the best beach in the city.

The island of Corsica (optional)

Bonifacio, Corsica | © Maria Angelova/www.203challenges.com

Ferries leave several times a day to Bonifacio, Corsica, from Santa Teresa Gallura. The Corsican town has a postcard-like harbor, an old town full of cobbled streets, souvenir shops and restaurants with tiny, tiny tables. Climb the Staircase of the King of Aragon and if you crave fresh air, follow the marked hiking paths that will take you out of the town to some rocky outcrops offering breathtaking views. Don’t miss the graveyard-town of Bonifacio, which consists of tens of family tombs resembling real-life houses. All of these tombs are colorful, with roofs, windows and flower pots in front of them.

The Elephant-shaped rock

The Elephant Rock, Sardinia

On your way south, just a few kilometers before the coastal town of Castelsardo, stop by the road to take a photo with an elephant. The Roccia Elefante (Elephant Rock) is 100% created by nature and makes an impressive backdrop for a photo.

Castelsardo: the colorful seaside town

Castelsardo, Sardinia | © Maria Angelova/www.203challenges.com

This colorful coastal town has so many beautiful vantage points that you can spend a whole day walking from restaurant to restaurant sipping the local Vermentino wine or mirto liqueur. Start with the old town and its rock-perched Sant Antonio di Abate Cathedral. Roam the steep streets and talk to the nice old ladies selling their handicrafts, then soak your feet in the warm, shallow water of the tiny beach.

Read more about Castelsardo.

Monte D’Accoddi – step back into ancient Mesopotamia

Monte D’Accoddi, Sardinia | © Maria Angelova/www.203challenges.com

It’s time to check out a (supposed) piece of Mesopotamia in Italy! This more than 6000-year-old megalithic pyramid is amazing for the fact that there is nothing like anywhere else in Italy or in the whole Mediterranean. At the same time, it very much looks like a Mesopotamian temple (ziggurat), which leads scientists to wonder how the two places were connected in those ancient times. Nobody has yet discovered the secret – maybe it’ll be you who unearths the key piece of evidence! Take an information brochure about the monument in your language and learn more about the mystical rituals that took place here.

Driving in Sardinia

I found driving in Sardinia rather care-free – the drivers didn’t seem as anxious as those on the continent, and the traffic wasn’t bad at all. Most of the roads are narrow and curvy as they follow the hills and rocks of Sardinia, and you can’t drive at high speed, so plan enough time to get from one point to another. The best part about driving in Sardinia is that the landscape changes all the time – from high, red-colored mountains and rugged coastlines to endless fields and colorful towns. And don’t forget about the long lines of old men sitting on benches in the town centers watching you as you pass by them:

Is that you, the granddaughter of Anna Maria? | © Maria Angelova/www.203challenges.com

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If you have toured Sardinia at all, you should have noticed there are many remains from its ancient past; the prolific Nuraghic civilization left towers literally every mile or two. There are, however, even more mysterious places on the island, leaving scientists wondering how to connect facts that don’t seem to have anything in common.

Monte D’Accoddi Hill is one of these places – a seemingly random hodgepodge of ancient cultures that should have never met each other. The megalithic altar is made of huge stones arranged in neat layers. It’s the perfect place to imagine for a moment that you are an ancient high priest – straighten your back and walk solemnly up the 40 m (130 ft) ramp to the top of the hill, where you can confess your deepest desires to the gods. Although the altar is only 9 m (30 ft) high, the view from the top is spectacular and sweeps over the surrounding fields, which were perhaps once filled with worshipers.

Monte D’Accoddi in Sardinia, Italy | © Maria Angelova/www.203challenges.com

What happened at the sacred site of Monte D’Accoddi?

Around 6,500 years ago the area was dotted with round huts organized in a settlement, most probably belonging to the people of the ancient Ozieri culture. Although at that time there was no altar here, the settlement was centered around a few other important stones. A menhir (a 4,7 m/16 ft tall upright stone to the left of the altar today) was used to utter prayers and perform rituals and sacrifices, together with other peculiar stones. You’ll see these strange shapes – including a trapezoid, an egg-shaped stone, a circular stone and several stones that form a table-like structure – around the area.

These stones were originally painted red. The ramp was erected later.

Monte D’Accoddi in Sardinia, Italy | © Maria Angelova/www.203challenges.com

Why is Monte D’Accoddi so unusual, and where does Mesopotamia fit into the whole story?

The answer is simple: nowhere else in Italy or the whole Mediterranean has a similar altar been discovered. In terms of architecture, its closest relatives are ancient Sumerian temples called ziggurats (dating back to around 3000 BC). To date, 32 ziggurats have been discovered in Iran and Iraq, revealing with them some of the world’s oldest known scripts.

Archaeologists are perplexed at how such a similarity can be observed in two cultures that have never been connected in any way (at least as far historians know), especially in their cults and temple-building.

Useful information

Monte D’Accodi is 20 km (13 mi) from Sassari and 45 km (28 mi) from Alghero. You will need a car to reach the site, as there are no public buses that go there. The opening hours change according to the season; in summer, the site is open from 9 am to 7 pm. Tickets cost 3 euros. You can find more information about the site’s working hours, prices and other details here.

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Monte D’Accoddi, Sardinia | © Maria Angelova/www.203challenges.com

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My favorite attractions are those that don’t have a red rope to keep you away from the exhibits, ones that let you completely immerse yourself in the past (as good museums should!). If you visit this next stunning place, you’ll not only see 5000-plus-year-old underground rock tombs, but will be able to enter and explore them from the inside.

The houses of fairies

There are hundreds of small tombs around the Italian island of Sardinia, which the locals believed to be houses of fairies (domus de janas in Sardinian). They simply couldn’t think of any other explanation for the peculiar formations they found all over the island. One of the most impressive places to admire these structures is the Necropolis of Anghelu Ruju, with 38 rock-hewn tombs that look like small houses, featuring windows, doors and rooms linked together with tunnels.

Anghelu Ruju near Alghero by © Maria Angelova/www.203challenges.com

Why it’s worth visiting Anghelu Ruju

The most amazing thing about these rock tombs is that they weren’t carved with metal instruments but with other pieces of rock. The people of that time (from the local Ozieri cultures) found a type of rock that was harder than the one they had to excavate and, considering the limited tools they had to work with, performed an amazing feat of artistry. In some of the tombs you’ll see engraved images of bulls with horns – a symbol of the male god in Ozieri cultures. Examine the walls for traces of ocher – the color of rebirth – to make sure this is not your last life on earth.

Some of the tombs are linked to each other with windows, while others are accessible by staircases leading underground. The entrances are sometimes narrow, but it’s not impossible to squeeze in. Once you’re inside, you’ll feel like a prehistoric man or a fairy in your own magical domain.

Anghelu Ruju near Alghero by © Maria Angelova/www.203challenges.com

A brief history of Anghelu Ruju

While building a house in 1903, workers came across a human skull and an ancient vessel. Further excavations revealed 38 underground tombs – with both mass and single graves. The prehistoric Ozieri culture, whose people created these tombs, was dominant in Sardinia between 3200-2700 BC.

Add some local wine to the trip!

Less than a mile (1.6 km) down the road there is a winery – Vigneti Sella & Mosca – where you can taste and buy wine made from local varietals, including Vermentino, Torbato, Cannonau, Carignano and Monica. It’s best to book your tasting session in advance.

Anghelu Ruju near Alghero by © Maria Angelova/www.203challenges.com

How to get to Anghelu Ruju

The easiest way to visit Anghelu Ruju is by car, as there’s no public transportation to get you there. The historic site is located 6 miles (10 km) from Alghero and 2.5 miles (4 km) from the local airport. An entrance ticket costs 3.50 euros. Opening hours: from 1 November to 31 March: 10 am – 2 pm. From 1 May to 30 September: 9 am – 7 pm. April and October: 9 am – 6 pm.

Other large domus de janas include Montessu, near Villaperuccio, and Sant’Andrea Priu in Bonorva.

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And if you happen to meet a local friend after dinner or the owner of the restaurant really liked you, you will receive a small shot glass of ‘mirto’ on your table. Usually, mirto is sipped after dinner, as a digestif (digestive aid), in small glasses, well cooled.

What is mirto?

Mirto is a popular liqueur on the island of Sardinia and its neighbor Corsica. It is produced from the berries and the leaves of the myrtle plant, which grows freely on the island. The plant is left to soak in pure alcohol for 2-6 weeks.

There are two types of mirto. Mirto rosso (red mirto, produced from the myrtle berries) and mirto bianco (white mirto, produced from the leaves). They taste quite different so it’s better to try them both and decide which one you like more. Actually, the best thing is to taste homemade mirto, produced by a Sardinian. The easiest way is to stay in an agriturismo and ask the owners.

Sunset at Castelsardo, Sardinia. © Maria Angelova/203challenges.com

When to have a glass of mirto?

Usually mirto is sipped after dinner, as a digestif (digestive aid), in small glasses, well cooled. Preferably while watching the sunset and talking about la bella vita. At least this is the locals advice. And who are you to go against the wisdom of the locals? We suspect that the real digestive aid comes from the sweet time spent with friends, not really from the drink itself.

If you discover and fall in love with mirto on Sardinia, don’t forget to take a bottle home, as it is hard to find abroad, even on the Italian mainland.

Since ancient times the myrtle plant has been well known for its medicinal properties so don’t hesitate to take some mirto as a preventive healthcare.

And if you are seriously in love with mirto, visit its festival – held every year in mid-August in the small town of Telti near Olbia.

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If you like small colorful towns with friendly people and no crowds of tourists, you should visit Castelsardo in Sardinia.

Bonus: a tiny sandy beach and turquoise water.

Why to go to Castelsardo in Sardinia, Italy

Amazing views from the castle – Castelsardo is located on a small, rocky peninsula in the north of Sardinia. The historical town is built on the top of a hill. When you climb it, enter the castle. You will have to pay a small fee (around 3 euro) but the amazing 360-degree view from the top will make you want to come back to the ticket lady and pay again. Among the ancient walls of the fortress there are a few rooms of the Mediterranean Bonds Museum (Museo Dell Intreccio Mediterraneo) where you will understand more about the past of the region while listening to Medieval-style music as if coming from the walls.

© Maria Angelova/www.203challenges.com

Sant Antonio di Abate Cathedral on the edge – no, we don’t suggest you say your prayer here, although it is hard not to feel the urge to do so when you arrive on the edge of the hill. The cathedral has a multicolored dome which you can see from afar and a beautiful view to Castelsardo and the port from its small terrace.

© Maria Angelova/www.203challenges.com

Roam the tiny winding streets of the old town – you don’t need a guidebook to find your way among the narrow cobble-stoned streets of the old town. Just walk and try to guess what’s behind the next turn. A religious procession? A small family run restaurant? An old lady selling her handicrafts? The answer is: all of them!

© Maria Angelova/www.203challenges.com

© Maria Angelova/www.203challenges.com

© Maria Angelova/www.203challenges.com

Local wine and Sardinian mirto – if you love and truly enjoy life, follow the locals’ advice and have a glass of Vermentino wine watching the sunset a stone’s throw from the turquoise sea. Vermentino is a Sardinian white wine (if you prefer red – get cannonau). When it’s apperitivo time, order a glass of mirto – a popular liqueur on the islands of Sardinia and Corsica, produced from the berries and the leaves of the myrtle plant. It comes in two varieties – white and red.

© Maria Angelova/www.203challenges.com

Beaches in Castelsardo – the coast is mostly rocky but there is a tiny sandy beach with a bar in the new part of the town (below the hill of the old town, follow Lungomare – the seashore alley).

© Maria Angelova/www.203challenges.com

The Elephant Rock – or Roccia Elefante is a real life-sized rock in the realistic shape of an elephant. It is formed entirely by nature. It is situated right next to the road, 4 km from Castelsardo (follow the brown signs, direction Sassari).

© Maria Angelova/www.203challenges.com

Where to stay in Castelsardo – there are a few hotels in the town (in its new part) but if you stay 1-2 km away from the center, you can find nice resorts perched on the rocks with their own little beaches and an amazing view to Castelsardo during the sunset.

© Maria Angelova/www.203challenges.com

How to get to Castelsardo – Fly to Sardinia, then rent a car (the public transport in Sardinia is unreliable and not frequent enough). Castelsardo is 70 km from Alghero, 250 km from Cagliari.

© Maria Angelova/www.203challenges.com

© Maria Angelova/www.203challenges.com

© Maria Angelova/www.203challenges.com

© Maria Angelova/www.203challenges.com

© Maria Angelova/www.203challenges.com

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