Access

From the village of Ovodda, take Via Gennargentu, entering the narrow alleyways of the centre and then leaving the village uphill on an asphalt road. Having passed a fork in the road that leads back to the SS128, a hardware store is located to the left and the road is immediately flanked by a beautiful hazel grove and woodland. Continue uphill on asphalt, keeping a small reservoir on the right. At the next crossroads, take a left uphill, following the signs for the Badu 'e Fonne agritourism, then continue straight on at the next crossroads, right at the Badu 'e Fonne locality, leaving the agriturismo of the same name on the right after a few metres. 

The wood 

At Badu 'e Fonne it is necessary to leave the car and continue on foot. Next to the agriturismo, the road makes a sharp climb on a cemented surface and then continues with gentle ups and downs, immersed in dense woodland, a paradise for mushroom foragers. A short descent leads to a widening where there is a characteristic crossroads with three roads, in the locality of Godditorzu. Hhere you go straight ahead, passing an isolated electricity pole. The dirt road soon becomes a cart track and begins to climb steeply in a magnificent forest, in which young holm oaks and downy oaks stand out in particular, interspersed with heather and sporadic hollies. 

Mihinari 

Take a right at the next crossroads, always keeping to what appears to be the main road and juggling the numerous forks in the road. The ascent is the only certain direction: as one gains height, one appreciates small openings in the vegetation that allow splendid shots of the Barbagia di Ollolai. A twisted oak tree is a sign that you are on the right track and a last uphill climb leads you out of the woods. The bare summit of Mihinari is preceded by the scent of thyme and, in spring, by colourful blooms, including the rare Armeria gennargentea. From the rounded peak of the relief, the panorama is superb and sweeps along the entire horizon, dominating the Gennargentu, all the Taloro and Aratu valleys, the distant Supramonte and remote western reliefs. At the foot of the mountain, the steep Rio Torrei valley with its small reservoir. Satiated with the panorama, one faces the return route via the passes already travelled.

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.

Access 

Take the SS 128, which is the main road of the inhabited centre of Sorgono. At the same level of the Cantina Sociale del Mandrolisai, on the opposite side of the road, wooden signs indicate some archaeological sites. You then follow Via Emilia, turning left at a large fork where you come to another signpost indicating Sentiero Escursionistico (Hiking Trail). Continue along the asphalt road for about 4 km until you come to a sign on the right indicating the Nuraghe Lò. You can park the car here. 

Nuraghe Lò 

You turn right uphill along a small dirt road, immersed in an Oak forest. After a short stretch, on the left, the beautiful nuragic tower stands out, built on a rocky outcrop formation and placed in a n elevated position. The plan of the structure is slightly elliptical and has the peculiarity of having an architraved window placed at the end of a slightly curved corridor that is in a mirror-image position to the entrance. 

Santu Loisu 

You descend back to the asphalt road, soon encountering a sign marking the entrance to the forestry yard, which also houses a beautiful nursery. You are now in the locality of Santu Loisu and enter a plot of land to the left of the road, where there are two buildings belonging to a mountain colony and a natual spring. On the right, a small path leads to the domus de Janas of Santu Loisu, consisting of two small chambers at ground level and immersed in a beautiful wood. You return to the tarmac road, continuing for a few hundred metres until you come to an imperceptible bend to the left. On the left of the road, immersed in the woods, is the beautiful tower of Nuraghe Bardacolo, set in a dominant position. Although extremely high, from its summit you can enjoy a wide panorama. 

Nuraghe Orrubiu 

The route continues on the main road, now slightly downhill. On the right-hand side of the road after a long stretch through the beautiful oak forest. Just before an electrical transformer cabin you come to the sign for Nuraghe Orrubiu, on the right. The beautiful single tower is slightly raised on a ploughed field and owes its name to the reddish mosses that have colonised its beautiful granite stones. Continuing along the main road, you will come across another sign, also on the right, that would allow you to visit a giants' tomb. 

S’Incodine 

On the left-hand side of the road, before turning back, you will come across a ladder type style that provides access to a vast pastureland. Behind it, near a rocky prominence stands the monument known as S'Incodine (The Anvil), due to its characteristic shape. Not far away, but difficult to find, are the Domus de Janas of Perdonigheddu and the Cherbos nuraghe. You return to the car by the road followed on the outward journey.

Access 

From Teti, take the SP4 downhill towards Lake Cucchinadorza, one of the three large reservoirs used for the production of hydroelectric energy. Just before the dam, on the left of the road, there is a clearing where you can park. 

Il Taloro - The Taloro 

You turn back a few dozen metres, taking a dirt road that leads slightly downhill in a north-westerly direction, passing a gate that is always open. The road continues downhill, keeping to the right of the gorge of the Taloro river, interrupted upstream by the barrage of the dam of the Cucchinadorza. Soon you come across two gates side by side: take the one on the right, which is never locked and serves to regulate livestock traffic. Immediately, a dirt track begins, initially in good condition, then increasingly rutted. The path enters the Taloro gorge: the river, once stormy and impetuous, is often dried up due to the interruptions of the dams upstream, but it still flows with a roar in winter and spring. 

Abini 

The road bends slightly to the west, still within sight of the river. It climbs slightly over a wide ridge, flanked by a woodland and shrubland, then descends in narrow hairpin bends. The road goes just above a farmstead: ignore the first fork to the left and then, at a sharp right-hand bend that descends towards the farmsteads, take a left along the less obvious tracks (GPS useful), almost immediately taking up a good dirt track that heads towards the Abini agriturismo. You descend to lap the Taloro and here, in a vast meadowy area just below the agritourism, you come across the monumental huts of Abini. The proto-Sardinian village owes its fortune to the discovery of famous bronze statues, such as the warrior with two shields and four eyes, one of the finest examples of proto-Sardinian art. The monumentality of the buildings excavated so far suggests that it was undoubtedly a centre of great importance and it is surprising to come across it in such an evocative and isolated place. After visiting the site, return along the road travelled, perhaps taking advantage of the hospitality of the nearby agriturismo before setting off again.

Access 

From the centre of Tiana, continue in the direction of Tonara on the SS 128, slightly downhill and high above the wooded valley. You soon reach a small rocky lay-by where, on the right, you will find the signs for reaching the Gualchiera, sa cracchera de tziu Bellu, which is today a museum of industrial archaeology. 

La Gualchiera - The Fullers 

Tiana is the symbolic village of orbace (rough wool), the fabric obtained by a mechanical process of felting wool. For the energy required in this proto-industrial process, there were the Fullers, structures similar to hydraulic mills that used by the power of water to drive the machinery. The one in Tiana has been beautifully restored, unique among the many once present in the area, and is located in an area surrounded by greenery, on the terraces suspended around the Tino stream at the point it merges with the Torrei. It can be visited only by appointment. 

Il Rio Torrei - The Torrei Stream 

Once you have visited the river, you can continue along a short nature trail along the hazel groves bordering the river, or take a route through the heart of the area. You then return to route 128 for a few hundred metres where, before a bridge turn left onto a cobbled road and then a dirt road, following the signs for the Ospitone path. The road runs along the hydrographic right bank of the Rio Torrei, in a mountainous environment, overhung by large rocks and often flanked by dense woodland. On the right, some rocks allow splendid panoramic views of the surroundings. 

The Path 

As you continue, you gain altitude, temporarily moving away from the river bed and then returning to it near a spring. The road becomes a narrow path that cuts through the vegetation, immersed in a beautiful forest broken only by sudden scree and rocks. At an altitude of 750 metres, you come to a ford on the right, after which you follow a dirt road uphill that soon leads back to the asphalt road serving the dam on the Rio Torrei, located a few kilometres further upstream. From here it is possible to retrace your steps or, especially if equipped with a mountain bike, to return by road to the village, taking a right and then another right once one reaches the public road.