Through the ancient path of the miners, you will descend from the metalliferous hills of the Guspinese-Arburese area down to the Campidano plain, where you will see basalt flows deriving from Tertiary volcanism thanks to the spectacular geological site of the basalt columns, and then climb the hill by walking on granite rocks to reach the town of Arbus.

The typical landscape of agricultural and livestock activities. Then you enter the Linas mountain range with its large forests and rich variety of mineral deposits.

Safety and useful tips

The downhill from Montevecchio involves crossing the SP04 road from Montevecchio towards Guspini several times. Watch out for crossings of the asphalted road, which often occur near curves and hairpin turns.

Once in Guspini, you have to follow an urban route, therefore pay attention to the urban traffic.

You will finally arrive in Arbus and once again you have to follow an urban route, so watch out for vehicular traffic.

During the downhill from Montevecchio, and also in the small village itself, you will come across several disused buildings and mining structures in an obvious state of disrepair, with the exception of those for which a passageway or a specially guided tour has been created. Avoid crossing the fences and/or venturing inside them, but always admire them from a distance without leaving the Trail.

The first part of the stage reaches the Campidano plain, where you can see the typical landscape of agricultural and livestock activities characterised by olive groves, almond groves and vast expanses of pasture land. You then enter the Linas mountain range, with its large forests and rich variety of mineral deposits.

Safety and useful tips

The initial section runs along an urban route in Arbus, therefore watch out for vehicular traffic.

Immediately after the archaeological site of the Giants’ Grave of San Cosimo, the route proceeds to a ford on the Rio Terra Maistus. If weather conditions are bad and/or if the river course is in flood and fording is difficult, it is recommended to follow the alternative route (in red) that leads to the SP04 road.

The passage allows to bypass the ford and resume the route shortly afterwards. While crossing the SP04, make sure to pay attention to vehicular traffic.

Halfway along the route you have to pass through Gonnosfanadiga, where you also must pay attention to urban vehicular traffic.

WE RECOMMEND STAYING TO SLEEP IN GONNOSFANADIGA

This stage also includes a variation to the main route.

This stage is not too long, but quite challenging.

You will pass through majestic holm oak woods while walking on granite rocks and crossing several streams, until you reach the lush citrus and cherry tree gardens of Villa Scema.

From the mine chapel of Perd'e Pibera, to the ancient church of Villacidro, which is dedicated to Santa Barbara, the cult of the patron saint of miners is strongly present.

A variant of the stage involves the route passing through the Villascema Park and for a stretch running along the shores of Lake Leni.

Safety and useful tips

The route proceeds uphill from Perd'e Pibera to Sella di Genna Farraceus, then the path continues downhill to the park of Villa Scema, where you have to ford the Rio Derettu. Should this watercourse be in flood and the ford impassable, it is recommended to proceed through the alternative route that runs directly on the asphalted road. If you take such a route, pay attention to vehicular traffic.

In the vicinity of Villacidro, the route winds through the residential area, therefore you must pay attention to urban traffic.

The stage is challenging due to its length and elevation gains, so you should adequately prepare for it.

ATTENTION: in this stage, after passing the city of Villacidro there is no phone line, wi-fi network is available in the Posada di Monti Mannu.

This stage is not too long and fairly easy to walk.

The only challenging stretch is the abrupt climb from the church of San Sisinnio (229 metres above sea level) to the junction with the Cariatzu asphalted municipal road (384 metres above sea level).

Otherwise, it is a pleasant walk along the right bank of the lake and then of the Rio Leni, from which you gradually ascend towards the Monti Mannu plant nursery and the Posada nearby.

Safety and useful tips

Initially, you have to walk through the residential area of Villacidro, therefore in this urban area you must pay attention to vehicular traffic.

When you reach the dam on the Rio Leni, take the road that runs alongside the reservoir, do not venture off the track (road) and do not try to reach the banks of the reservoir to avoid the risk of falling in.

As you get closer to the reservoir, telephones will start to present connection issues. Therefore, make sure to download the tracks in offline format.

From a naturalistic and landscape point of view, this is one of the most striking stages of the Trail, thanks to the extraordinary beauty of the granite reliefs of Piscina Irgas that were modelled by watercourses.

The holm oak woods, the Mediterranean scrub and the various mining excavations along the way are also fascinating.

This route is not very challenging because of the length, but because of the elevation gains that you need to overcome.

Safety and useful tips

Along the way, you will find a series of fords: the first is on the Rio Cannisoni before the steep climb along the path leading to the waterfalls of Piscinas Irgas; after the downhill from the waterfall viewpoint, you have to cross the Rio Oriddano less than three times; finally, you have to ford the Canal of Perdu Marras.

When you reach the viewpoint on the waterfalls of Piscinas Irgas, it is advisable to stay on the path without venturing into the gorge that houses the basin into which the waterfalls pour. As a matter of fact, this deviation is very challenging, because it proceeds along a poorly defined and very steep path which, if taken, must be tackled both downhill to reach the reservoir and uphill to resume the route.

In Arenas, you will see some ruined mining buildings; avoid crossing any fences and/or venturing inside them, but always admire them from a distance without leaving the Trail.

The stage runs through an isolated territory, therefore it is good practice to communicate the departure from Monti Mannu and the arrival in Arenas (in Arenas the phone connection will work in elevated areas and in particular near the buildings of the old Genne Carru Mine, which you will encounter at the beginning of the next stage). It is therefore advisable to download the offline version of the stage track.