Sardinia: day trip 2 - going south
We set off in reasonably good time with the plan of going as far as we could, and working our way back via whichever locations were nearby. From our base in Cannigione, past Olbia, and down the 131 ...
I wanted to get as far as Abbasanta, and spend the day (if not stay over and spend 2 days) between here, Macomer, Paulilatino and Sedillo - but we didn't quite get that far. The 131 is a fast dual carriageway, with quite a few tunnels through hillsides - and the manufacturers of the hire car had hidden the light controls so we were in the dark - and the lanes are quite narrow, with a narrow central reservation with a tall barrier on it - so when you are overtaking a high sided vehicle, it's frankly more than a little scary. So by the time we were approaching Nuoro, the town after which the province is named, Beardy (the passenger!) declared it was well and truly time to get off the main road and head for somewhere we could relax. So we took the road towards Dorgali and before long were turning into the car park for our first stop of the day, Serra Orrios.
This site is about 9km north west of Dorgali, and is on the SP38. It's run by the Ghivine Cooperative www.ghivine.com who can arrange guided tours of the archaeology and natural features of the area.
There's plenty of parking; there's a cafe - food, drinks, souvenirs, clean toilets - right next door and associated with the site.
Tickets are 6 euros for adults (kids 2½ I think) and it is open 09:00 - 13:00 and 15:00 - 19:00.
From the ticket office it's about 500 metres to the gate to the site, along a flat paved path.
The site is a nuraghic village, excavated from 1936, but with 3 temple buildings worth listing separately.
From the gate at the top of the path from the car park, the first area you find is a huge sacred enclosure with the first of the megaron temples - not well preserved.
A doorway in the wall has a foyer area on the outside and takes you on to the rest of the site.
The site plan we'd been given (by the charming lady at the ticket hut, who, seeing we had some paperwork on the site already, offered to lend us anything else in the hut for the duration of our visit) suggested turning towards the right and the more complete temple.
Temple B has a wall surrounding it, with 3 entrances, the middle one of which leads into an ante chamber rather than directly into the temple courtyard.
The temple itself has small vestibule and doorway with a lintel, and both the vestibule and the temple itself have low seating around the interior walls.
The village huts - excavated in 1937 and again in 1947 - number more than 70; most are to the east of temple B, but there's a distinct cluster to the north too.
The huts - mainly circular single roomed structures, but a few showing two rooms - were built around a series of plazas, two of which have wells. The walls are thick, and storage niches can be seen, along with seats and hearths inside the huts. The pathways between the huts are paved, and each hut has a stone step at its entrance.
The last port of call on the tour is the meeting temple, set apart from the village huts. The finds from excavation in the 1930s were not recorded, but its structure, with a vestibule and interior seating, leads archaeologists to theorise that it was a sacred rather than living space.
We caught up with the lady working at the hut again on our way out and enquired about the local area - the tombas associated with Serra Orrios were destroyed in maybe the 1960s; we asked about Biristeddi tomba and Purgatoriu village, but were told it is no longer possible to visit.
So after stopping for a quick drink we got back in the car and continued towards Dorgali - spotting several nuraghe on the way - and in the town itself saw a sign to a domus de janus that we planned to investigate later - but continued on to the beautiful bay of Cala Gonone. This area has a couple of nuraghic villages (including Mannu) to visit, and Monte Longu dolmen signposted off the winding road down to the bay, but for once we opted for lunch rather than more visits.
An hour or so later, full of fish, we couldn't face the climb up to Monte Longu, so instead backtracked through Dorgali - taking the wrong road so instead of going to the domus de janus we went right through the centre of town - and decided to try to find Motorra Dolmen.
Taking the main road, SS125, north out of Dorgali, you come to a left turn (SP38) signposted to Serra Orrios but keep going on. You need to go another 750 metres along the road - the first bend is sharp, and it's most of the way round the second bend when there's a track to the right to the dolmen, with a farm track almost directly opposite it. There's room to park a couple of cars under a tree opposite the track to the dolmen.
There is a signpost, but it had been knocked or pulled over and was just inside the field - I pulled it over the wire fence and propped it up against the wall, so those travelling south at least would be able to see it.
The track continues for 140 metres, then there's a fork and a sign directs you to keep left, up a much narrower and quite overgrown path, for another 120 or so metres until the way ahead becomes almost impassable and instead you go through a gate to the left. A series of arrows painted on rocks guide you the last 140 metres to the dolmen itself.
What a stunning spot! A young German-speaking couple were picnicking there, but kindly moved for our cameras.
The dolmen, dated to c 3000BCE, has an almost circular capstone, resting on 7 slabs, and a kerb of stones around it.
  |
On the road back, not long before passing Serra Orrios, we stopped briefly to look at Nuraghe Oveni - signposted but behind a fence, beyond a locked gate, and looking a little tumbledown - then back across the main road, the 129, heading for the 131, but taking a late afternoon stop at a stunning tomba di gigante.
There's a car park off the main road, and a gate on the left leads you to a sandy path, past a fab outcrop of weathered rock ahead, and then to the left to the tomba.
Free and open access - no facilities except parking.
The tomb was restored in the 1970s and is now well preserved. The stele is 3.65 metres tall, and weighs 7 tonnes! The rear of the tomba is surrounded by bushes, but it's possible (if naughty!) to climb behind the stele to view the funeral corridor - about 11 metres long - and capstones, and indeed climb into the corridor.
A beautiful site - quite a few people wandered past while we were there, but it was never busy. Loads of insect life, particularly praying mantes (mantids, mantises, whichever plural you prefer!) in glorious late afternoon sunshine. There are numerous other bits of rock strewn over the area - Beardy found what appeared to be a cist when we were having a mooch about, aware of two other tombas somewhere nearby but further reading says the area was used from Nuraghic to Roman times and right through to the middle ages.
  |
With time drawing on, we hit the road, for the mad dash north, keen to get back to base before dark, despite so many other things in the vicinty I wanted to check out.
Why does it always take far less time to return than go?
|
Sardinian Seconds
Seeing as we were only a few kilometres away, we decided to forego a lunchbreak (again!) and continued a short way west from the Coddhu Vecchju turn on the SP14, and turned off north following the signposts to Li Muri and Li Lolghi.
By now it was obvious that several groups of people were following the ancient trail, and we saw the same cars and visitors at the next two locations as we'd done at Coddhu Vecchju - some sharing our giggling at bumping into them again, and some entirely humourless.
From the turn off the SP14 (clearly signposted) it was 1.8 km to a fork in the road, with one site each way - we decided to head to the left to Li Muri first.
From the fork in the road where the directions to this site and Li Lolghi split, it was 1.2km to the car park and information building (closed when we got there) just past the site, and about 120 metres up a gentle incline to get back to the site itself which has a gate and wooden hut at its entrance.
The site has wooden posts and rails to keep people off the stones, and viewing platforms similar to those we'd seen at Coddu Vecchju.
There are 5 cists; 4 of these have a menhir and stone slabs arranged around them to form a circle; cist number 5 to the far left on my panoramic photo has an incomplete circle with an open front.
This is believed to be the oldest site on the island, at around 4000 BCE.
Tickets are 5 euros to visit both here and Li Lolghi, payable at the information office just down the slope - the guide was at the circles when we arrived and we followed her down to pay after our visit. As usual for the "pay" sites, there were toilets, and a range of info, drinks and snacks on sale.
  |
My research suggested a domus de janus nearby, but the guide (bearing in mind she spoke very little English and my Italian is extremely basic!) told us that as far as she was aware there are none of these rock cut tombs in Gallura.
We turned round, after encouraging a group of mature British tourists to visit the sites, and retraced our route to the fork in the road, and this time headed east for less than half a km to the car park for Li Lolghi.
Li Lolghi has ample parking, a wooden information and ticket hut (we'd paid at Li Muri so just picked up our guide leaflet) which has the usual range of info, postcards, ice creams and drinks - including beer!
The slope leads up to the tomba - orientated to face south east - and again was originally an allée couverte as at Coddu Vecchiu, extended circa 1300 BCE.
The giant stele has been broken at a 45° angle and repaired, and has relief carvings on it; the stone slabs of descending height on either side mark out the esedra.
Looking through the portal, you can see along the funeral corridor to the remaining capstone and shelf at the end, before the earlier tomb.
The rear of the monument is gently fenced with posts and rails, and viewing platforms are provided. The whole thing is a massive 26 metres long!
The sites we'd visited were so close to each other that the petrol gauge on the hire car had barely moved and there was plenty of daylight left, so we decided to continue our trip and headed south west towards the village of Luras, which promised 4 (out of originally 9? I'm sure I read that somewhere!) dolmens. A brief stop for a drink in Sant' Antonio di Gallura (a one horse town, and the horse was out) and 25km or so from Li Lolghi brought us to the narrow, winding streets of Luras, with some precipitous drops to the side; fortunately the dolmens are all signposted from the main street. Follow the road and watch out for the brown signs!
We parked at a T head and turned first to the left for about 120 metres along the road and then up a path to our first dolmen.
This dolmen has a huge main capstone - over 3 metres by 4 metres - supported by stone slabs on 3 sides with some wooden posts to help out too. A separate, smaller capstone creates a porch area, and the underside of both stones have been carved in to.
Someone had been recently, and left a potted plant (cyclamen maybe?) tucked safely at the left of the entrance.
Free and open access.
Back past the car and about 120 metres curving gently downhill past T head and we turned through the gate to the left to the next dolmen.
This dolmen is smaller than, but similar in construction to Ladas - both have been dated at 3rd millennium BCE. It's situated on a rocky outcrop with great views from its south easterly facing entrance across the valley below.
Again, a plant had been left to the left of the entrance.
Free and open access.
We jumped back into the car and headed (after a quick turn round and retrace our steps to retrieve Beardy's expensive (£7.49, you know!) sunglasses from Ladas) back and then across the main street, following the signposts to the other two dolmens.
Bilella (spelt like this and as Billella on the same information board) is signposted off Via Boccaccio in Luras - it's actually about 1.2km from the turn off.
Free and open access.
Yet again, a plant had been left as an offering!
A curious construction - built on a cut shelf of rock - and looking from one side like a transformers toy climbing a stair! It's the tallest of the group of dolmens at about 1.65 metres.
We retraced our path back to Via Boccaccio and turned right - signposted again - down the side of the football pitch to a dead end, facing an information board - and then looked to the right in a walled but open entranced area next to someone's house and garage - and found the 4th dolmen.
This is the smallest of the group of dolmens, standing about 90cm high and consisting of a capstone of about 2½ metres square balanced on 3 other slabs.
Free and open access.
Yet again, a plant had been left recently, but this time there was also a message (on a separate piece of stone, not on part of the actual structure). Can anyone translate it?
What a packed day! Unsurprisingly tired and hungry, we decided to head for home over the slalom hill roads towards Arzachena, leaving the temptation to head towards the town of Tempio, and yet more treats, for another day.
|
Sardinian Starters
"And so it is that modern visitors to Sardinia are initially overwhelmed by the sheer weight of ancient monuments that confront them." (The Megalithic European).
We were long overdue for an antiquarian excursion and eventually the trip we'd booked months before came round. I spent many of the previous weekends scouring the net and zooming all over the island on Google Earth, and even though I'd discounted the bottom half as too far to go, my short list was several hundred locations long – some just nuraghe (bronze age conical towers) but some whole areas littered with these, their associated settlements, tomba di gigante – the unique Sardinian feature of a passage grave usually with a curved façade and huge central portal stone, dolmens, and domus de janus - rock cut tombs.
So, one week, and 980km in a little hire car ….
Day trip 1 (part one?):
We were staying in Cannigione, about half an hour's drive from Olbia airport, and only about 5 minutes drive from our first port of call.
Nuraghe Albucciu is just outside Arzachena on the SS125 and well signposted in the vicinity. It has an information office/shop with parking on the opposite side of the road to the nuraghe, which is reached through an underpass. We bought tickets to visit here, and Malchittu and Coddu Vecchju, at 5½ euros per person (includes an A5 colour site guide for each of the 3); the site is open from 09:00 – 19:00; the shops sell the expected range of drinks and souvenirs, and has clean toilets round the back; there's a café right next door.
The nuraghe was built onto the side of a granite cliff. The entrance is on the east side and above it you can see corbels which would have supported a wooden balcony; inside, there's a tholos (false domed ceiling) room on the right with a niche in the far wall which once led to another entrance to the nuraghe cut into the cliff, and to the left is a low entrance to a possible store room. Both these rooms have no natural light, but an electric lamp is supplied for visitors. A central staircase leads up to the terrace level, where you get a good view of the rooms surrounding the tower, and to the south a few steps down take you through a doorway into the largest room, with one wall of solid granite, and two windows constructed with the narrower part to the outside.
Finds from the site are exhibited at the museum in Sassari.
Next we walked along the road from the car park away from Arzachena for less than 200 metres and turned to the left to our first tomba di gigante.
This site, though grouped with Nuraghe Albucciu and Malchittu, has free access. The tombi is not particularly well conserved – the central stele, or portal stone, is missing and there's only one capstone left, but the corridor of almost 10 metres is impressive, and probably originally an allée couverte reused and restyled as a tomba in the bronze age.
  |
Then it was back past the car park to the track that leads to Malchittu.
It's just over 1½km from the car park for Nuraghe Albucciu (see this site for access, facility and ticket details) to Malchittu Temple; the path is generally wide and sandy, but does climb a bit, and the last section to reach the temple is a scramble up uneven rocks. So not recommended for the less mobile!
The temple is a very unusual structure for Sardinia and is situated between two rocky outcrops with fantastic views over the surrounding area. There's an entrance foyer, with one straight and one curved wall, and a doorway into the main part of the temple, where niches for offerings, and a central hearth, can be seen. There's an oak tree growing towards the back of the structure. The walls are really impressive and a scramble up the rocks on either side give great views down into the temple.
At the bottom of the rocky scramble, there's the remains of another structure.
It's well worth allowing a couple of hours to view this group of sites (here and Albucciu and Moru).
  |
Seeing as we'd bought 3 site tickets, we decided to continue on, rather than stopping for lunch, and visit one of the most famous and impressive tombas.
From Arzachena, take the 427 or SP14 towards Tempio, the site is always signposted. There's ample parking, and a building for tickets and information (with refreshments etc on sale and toilets available) about 300 metres north of the site. We'd bought tickets at Nuraghe Albucciu so just had to show these to be given our site guide. Open 09:00 – 19:00.
A gentle stroll along the road side and then down a path brought us to the tomba. Wow! It's huge!
The building was done in two stages, the first part being an allée couverte (circa 2500 BCE?) with the giant stele and esedra (forecourt area, the wings, or some might propose, the open legs of the tomb) added later. The site is roped off, and visitors are asked not to climb onto or into the tomb, but a variety of raised viewing platforms have been built all the way round the back to make it easier to see.
The stele is massive – almost 4½ metres tall, but narrower than some others at 1.9 metres – and has a pronounced pink tinge to its stone; it was built with two slabs on top of each other, and both sections have relief carvings in them. The wings of the tomba are stone slabs in decreasing height. Behind the stele – the tallest one on the island – there's a short corridor, which joins the newer part to the body of the original tomb – about 10 metres long with granite slabs forming the walls, floor and capstones.
  |
 |
We wandered back to the car park and decided to go and try to see a nearby nuraghe, even though my research said it was not open to visitors.
The nuraghe of La Prisciona is currently (Sept 2007) closed to the public for repairs and excavation, likely to continue until at least May 2008.
The new excavations are revealing a whole series of buildings/rooms surrounding the nuraghe which has a triangular base and 3 towers, and a deep well in its courtyard.
The information office at Coddu Vecchju about 900 metres away shows some images of the excavations.
There was still so much to see in the area that we couldn't stop .... part 2 coming soon!
|
Some useful Spanish phrases (Mallorca final part!)
Wednesday 3rd May continued ...
Feeling reasonably confident with our map reading, instruction understanding, and stone spotting skills by now, and with the return of the sunshine - hurrah! - we decided to search out the naviforme at Can Roig Nou.
From the southern town of Felanitx (a great name for an Asterix character?!) we took the PM512 towards Campos del Port but after about 1km turned off to the right onto the Cami de Son Mesquida. After about 4km, and just before Son Mesquida itself, we took a left onto Cami de Pedreres and almost immediately left again following the signpost to Can Roig. Before long, there was a right turn with a sign saying "Formatges" which we followed, past a building with huge lettering "Santa Son Mesquida" on it. There's a house numbered 2098 to the right, and after this we kept to the left down a farm track - with a substantially sized ostrich in the field to the left - and pulled up in the farmyard.
The directions we had said to ask permission at the farm. There were 4 dogs loose in the yard, 2 of them quite big and one of those quite scary looking, so we sat in the car for a few minutes pondering our next move. Then two men appeared from one of the farm buildings, so I got out and waved, and shouted "hola!". That's part of my very limited command of the Spanish language (of course in Mallorca, it's a Catalan dialect, Mallorquin, that's spoken, rather than Castillian Spanish, but trying either is appreciated). I followed that up, as he approached, with "No hablo espanol. Ruinas prehistoricas?" and with a beaming grin, he shook my hand and pointed into the farmyard. A bit of sign language confirmed that it was OK to leave the car just where it was, and accompanied by the now playful and friendly dogs, we all headed along the track, past the cow sheds and into the field beyond, where we found the naviforme.
Overdue explanation time - a naviforme is a boat or enlongated horseshoe shaped structure, similar to the navetas on nearby Menorca, only rather than being contructed entirely of stone, the naviformes had a roof of wooden beams covered with branches and mud. This is one of the most impressive - many others have only their foundation stones remaining, for example at Hospitalet Vell and Es Closos de can Gaia (see the second half of my blog no 1 for Mallorca, Browsing the Balaerics again ...).
It's the remaining one of three; it was the middle one, and the wall to its right contains some of the stones from its neighbour. The inside is impressive, with the walls way taller than us; the interior dividing walls are thought to be later, maybe Roman, additions, and the construction of the apse has lead archaeologists to believe there was originally an attic space.
Beardy went to have a look at what was round the left side and beyond the naviforme, and came back followed by a herd of goats; this and the fact the our guide had waited for us meant we didn't check out the surrounding landscape, but headed back to the car. "Muchas gracias, senor!"
We retraced our steps onto Cami de Son Mesquida, but turned away from Felanitx and towards Porreres and less than 2km later, couldn't miss this:
Just after the magnificent wall, the road drops down, and there's a handy parking place next to a well. We went to investigate, and behind the wall a series of rooms could be seen
and in the field to the south, the remains of a talaiot
and a wall beyond that - both inaccessible.
The (as usual, almost illegible) well hidden information board identified the site as the poblat of Es Pou Salat.
Rumbles of thunder in the distance and increasingly threatening clouds persuaded us to start heading for home via the town of Villafranca de Bonany, but we realised there were a pair of talaiots just off the road (the C715, which is in the process of being turned into dual carriageway for much of its length and roundabouts and ring roads are cropping up all over) so took the PM511 to the right back towards Felanitx. After about 2km, we took a track to the left just before the road bends to the left, marked Privado PM10815, and headed towards the talaiots of Son Pou Vell, also known as Sa Clova des Lladres, at the top of the field guarded by a thousand thistles.
The nearer one is quite ruinous
but the other is better preserved and offers tantalising glimpses of its central column
though its entrance is blocked.
Handy hint for the ladies at this site - don't wear a skirt. There's a four foot wall to climb and those thistles in the field will leave you scratched and bleeding. With the storm brewing and advancing, we went back to our hotel for a final evening, packed, and set off early on Thursday. Our flight back wasn't till the evening, and the hire car not due back till late afternoon, so we'd planned to check out the south west of the island before heading back into Palma.
We'd been looking forward to the poblat of Capocorb Vell, with its three circular and two square talaiots, all of them huge and well preserved. From the town of Llucmajor, take the road signposted to Cala Pi, and it's signposted from there. On a bend in the road, you can't miss the huge sign and there was a car park on the other side of the road ... completely empty. The main gate was locked, and the walls surrounding the poblat had branches laid over them to discourage climbing over, so all we had were glimpses over the wall and through the main gate.
The site has a 2 euro entrance fee and a bar for visitors. The sign outside stated opening times of 10:00 - 17:00. We went back up the road and asked when it would be open at another bar - "mañana". A useful phrase to know in Spanish, or indeed useful information to have when planning a trip - "jueves cerrado" means closed on Thursdays!
We stopped briefly to check out one of several talaiots only about 100m to the south
off a private road belonging to the house called Capocorb Vell, but then with time ticking on, decided to head north and negotiate the mad Palma traffic, road works and one way systems, and after a well deserved pint, got a cab to the airport.
A thoroughly enjoyable week - but so much more, not just the so annoyingly shut Capocorb Vell, to see. We'd visited less than half of the sites I'd turned up in my research, none of those in the north west of the island, and if we'd checked out all those three-little-red-dot markings on the map .....
Don't write Mallorca off as just another package holiday destination! Get one of the many cheap flights and a car, and go exploring. I'm tidying up, decyphering and adding to my notes, and if you plan to visit the island, drop me a mail and I'll share the detailed info with you.
|
More Mallorca!
Wednesday 3rd May ... weather forecast - cloudy and possibly the occasional shower.
As we set off, I looked at the clouds and wondered whether bringing a coat would have been a good plan. Not many miles south, the heavens opened, the rain lashed down, and the wind whipped the trees into a frenzy. But nothing was going to stop us checking out south east of the island.
We decided to head for somewhere we were sure we could find, so followed the directions in TME to Ets Antigors, near the town of Ses Salines in the southern most tip of the island.
There's a wide path from the road into the site, but we went first through a gap in the wall to the right of this to check out Sa Talaia Joana, the circular talaiot situated just outside the poblat. We climbed up and side and were almost blown off the top.
Soaked to the skin, we headed into the main body of the site, past a water silo
and as usual found the information board in disrepair.
When the site was excavated in about 1915, underground enclosures were found, more talaiots and a sanctuary, but much of this was reburied. Today the site has some impressive wall
a number of clapers - piles of stone covering other structures -
and talaiots - overgrown but offering a glimpse of the central pillar.
It was still very wet and windy
so we didn't spend as long as we might have done here, but headed back to the road and despite the large private keep out signs, went into the farmyard beyond the site to take a better look at Sa Talaia Joana
whose entrance is on its far side, away from the poblat.
There were people working in the farmyard, but they didn't seem to object to us being there.
Then we went back through the town of Santanyi, and took the C714 north towards Cas Concos des Cavalier, but after only about 1km took the first right turn. This narrow road bends after maybe ½km, and glancing into the field to the left, I spotted a magnificent section of wall
and following the bend round, the talaiot of Ca'n Jordi set back from the road.
This talaiot has a magnificent, if precariously balanced, central pillar
and an unusual zigzag entrance runner
There appeared to be the remains of some walls or rooms adjacant to the talaiot, but an alarmed, and equally alarming when it popped out of the undergrowth, chicken with chicks was in residence, so we didn't investigate too closely, but went into the next field where the wall continues.
Sadly, the talaiot and the sections of wall are all that remains of the poblat Ses Talaies de ca'n Jordi.
|
|
Yorkshire based stone searcher and Cope music fan with intentions to be tidy and green, and with a fondness for baking.
Married to Beardy - at Castlerigg - and honeymooned round Perthshire, Aberdeenshire, and the Western Isles.
Recently taken to European excursions.
|
Log in |
Register
Previous 5 | Showing 11-15 of 21 posts. Most recent first | Next 5 
Top of page