Access
From the inhabited centre of Sarule, go in the direction of the village cemetery, then continue along the main road until an clear and obvious crossroads dominated by the three pointed peaks of Monte Gonare. Take a left, following the signs for the mountain and continuing to climb on the tarmac road until the next crossroads, where you keep to the right, travelling for a few hundred metres and parking in a large clearing where the road ends, near some buildings that serve as shelters for the worshippers during the festivities.
The via Crucis: The Way of the Cross
The sanctuary of Gonare is located near the border between the municipalities of Sarule and Orani and its festivity is particularly ardent celebration The ancient church is said to have been built at the behest of Gonario di Torres to thank the Virgin Mary for having saved him during a storm at sea, but its dominant position highlights a geopolitical and at the same time ascetic intention. From the clearing, a well-marked path can be seen on the left, the same one where Via Crucis take place, leading to the sanctuary, where every step is marked by the passage of pilgrims and cloaked in legends and stories. You gradually gain height, surrounded by a beautiful wood of Holm oaks lashed by the wind. In spring, extraordinary blooms of lilies and peonies enrich the route.
The church
A couple of narrow hairpin bends make up the steepest part of the climb, the final one, now dominated by the church. The beautiful medieval building was extended several times and occupies the summit of the mountain, located at an altitude of just under 1100 metres. From the church one can enjoy a vast panorama that embraces the two coasts of Sardinia and a large part of the central and northern regions of the island. One can also admire the sunrise rising over the Gulf of Orosei and the sunset sinking into the waters of the Gulf of Oristano, offshore from Sinis, while the Gennargentu closes the panorama to the south and the jagged peaks of the Limbara mark the last visible places to the north. A door of the church is always open and allows entry to anyone who reaches the summit to grant anyone a prayer, after which they return to their cars by the path they took.
