Spring in the Sinis

The Sinis is a strip of land halfway up the Sardinian west coast. It surrounds the homonymous peninsula turned on the Gulf of Oristano and the Sea of Sardinia and embraces the valley from northern Campidano through to Montiferru mountains.

We propose a short trip of two or three days by camper and bike that aspires to grasp the complexity of this territory, between the sea, lagoons and marsh waters, the limits of the mountains, the signs of ancient civilization and spirituality, the silences. The favorite season is spring, when the landscape is softened by the many flowers and when the many species of birds that live here and emigrate, are in the season of love.

The itinerary starts with a visit to the Antiquarium Arborense of Oristano, where important witnesses of the Sinis are kept. You will then enter the ancient heart of the peninsula by visiting Tharros, already a Nuragic foundation, then occupied by the Phoenicians and later by the Punic and Romans. It is advisable to climb the Spanish watchtower, near the excavations, to better understand the importance of the Gulf of Oristano as a safe harbor for the ancient populations and a melting pot of exchanges in the center of the Mediterranean Sea. From the terrace of the tower you can enjoy the beauty and diversity of the two seas, the Dead Sea, always calm, and the sea alive, the Sea of ​​Sardinia, often rough. The entrance to the beautiful early Christian church of S. Giovanni di Sinis, probably the oldest in Sardinia, is worthy.

And now let's take a further step back in the spiritual history of these places. At the Archaeological Museum of Cabras we admire the small statues of the mother goddess, found in tombs dating back to the Middle Neolithic (4000-3500 BC), and the Giants of Mont'e Prama, sandstone funerary sculptures, unique in their kind in the Mediterranean Basin, which are, together with the nuraghes models, the glorious symbol of the last phase of the Nuragic civilization (Iron Age, IX - VI century BC), before its mysterious disappearance and assimilation by successive cultures.

In Cabras, taking advantage of a stop with the camper near the great pond of the same name, we set up the bike to reach the village of San Salvatore. We run in solitude across the path that the Scalzi, "marathon runners" devoted to the Saint, make every first of September together with a crowd of faithful followers and sightseers, and we arrive in a timeless place, the village. Even more surprising is the descent to the hypogeum of the church, which preserves the ancestral worship of the waters.

Before leaving Cabras, let's get back to earthly things: let's remember to buy some bottarga, an exquisite and inevitable camper ingredient!

Now we return to the sea, for an extraordinary journey along the coast, between the dunes, the quartz beaches and the cliffs. Starting from the Municipal Park of Seu up to Santa Caterina di Pittinuri, each piece of coast preserves episodes of geological history closely linked to the volcanoes of Montiferru (extinct for a million years now) and to the incessant work of freshwater and wind courses, particularly the mistral. It is thanks to the mistral that today we enjoy jewels like the beaches of Maimoni, Is Aruttas and Mari Ermi (the beaches of "grains of rice" born from the erosion of the granite island of Mal di Ventre) and surf spots among the most important in the Mediterranean region. Pure magic waking up in the morning in Maimoni and admiring, along the way, the pink flamingos in the pond near Mari Ermi. Continuing northwards, the calcareous cliffs of Su Tingiosu suddenly rise and you come across abandoned sandstone quarries. One of theese, a few kilometers from the coast, has been the subject of a reconversion intervention, becoming an auditorium, the Parco dei Suoni, where hight quality musical events take place in summer.

Time is running, but perhaps we can take a horseback ride, starting from the San Lorenzo horse club, in Mandriola, near the beautiful beach of Putzu Idu, where on our return we await a delicious wood-fired pizza sitting at the table overlooking the pond.

The beach of Sa Mesa Longa is also not to be missed. From here, reachable on foot, by bike or on horseback, another place dear to us, Su Pallosu, where with a little luck, you can buy some sea gifts directly from the returning fishermen, late in the morning, in the natural harbor.

After so much wild nature it is time to get refreshed in one of the historic structures of the Sinis, the Nurapolis campsite, among other things one of the few on the island to be open all year. The campsite is surrounded by a huge pine forest, in the largest dune domain of the island, which was probably the largest desert on the Mediterranean side of the Mediterranean about 70 years ago. And finally S'Archittu, to give us a bath under this extraordinary natural monument. From S'Archittu to Santa Caterina di Pittinuri you are spoiled for choice for the sunset over the sea and for the excellent restaurants.

The hinterland is also worth a visit. Here is Santu Lussurgiu, in the heart of Montiferru, which stands on the mouth of a volcano, guardian of the art of knives, traditional clothes, leather shoes and casizolu, a delicious cheese made of spun paste cow. When we come back down, we meet the basalt stone villages of Bonarcardo, Seneghe and Narbolia (and here another gastronomic excellence, the red ox meat).

We return to the plain, fertile cradle of the Sinis civilization, and we cross the villages of Riola Sardo and Nurachi. With a not too distracted look, we notice that the buildings are made of raw earth bricks. This type of construction, with the due differences in the quality of the land and styles, was widespread and sometimes it is still in the whole Campidano plain up to Cagliari. Be careful because, being careful, you can come across some old private winery, where you can enjoy a good glass of vernaccia, wine obtained from one of the oldest vines of the World. No more than a glass, however, if you intend to continue the journey: the gradation of this exclusive specialty of the Sinis lands can reach up to 18% of alchool by volume!