Montiferru is the closest thing you can find in Sardinia to the atmosphere of the Irish or Scottish coast. So what to do if it rains in Santa Caterina di Pittinuri?
A green landscape even in summer, a dark basalt massif crossed by many waterways, and then natural waterfalls and white cliffs overlooking an intense blue sea. This is Montiferru.
Even in summer, thanks to a sometimes strong mistral and the Atlantic currents to which it is naturally exposed, it can happen that beach activities here are not very pleasant, even in summer.
So what to do in Santa Caterina di Pittinuri when it rains?
Credits Wikipedia
Nature and history here are deeply linked and offer multiple ideas for spending a different but equally pleasant day.
If you want to discover an ancient and mysterious past… you are on the island of Nuraghi!
Montiferru offers, a few tens of kilometers from our Hotel La Baja, numerous testimonies of our past.
Dozens of nuraghe dot the territory, symbols of a civilization of which not everything has really been discovered. Suffice it to say that 36 are registered in the Scano Montiferro area, one for every 2 square kilometres. Here are the main ones of the territory, many of them can be visited all year round and often in a good state of conservation. We list just a few of them here
In Santu Lussurgiu we find
Elighe Onna.
Consisting of a main tower and two smaller ones, it is currently around 5 meters high. It can be reached by taking the provincial road from San Leonardo in the direction of Macomer. The nuraghe is visible for a stretch of the road on the left. Just after the fourth kilometre, you enter a narrow agricultural road.
Nuraghe Piricu
in excellent condition, composed of two superimposed floors, it is located within private land but it is possible to visit it
Nuraghe Abbauddi
Large nuraghe over nine metres, with a single tower structure and made of sandstone. Structured with the classic main chamber, it is however equipped with 3 niches created within the massive wall thickness. From the right, a staircase leads to the top of the tower.
Nuraghe Urassala
A beautiful nuraghe which has its single-tower shape practically intact, easy to access and with the possibility of reaching the top thanks to a steep staircase.
Credits Sardegna Turismo
A testimony of Medieval Sardinia
Moving along the coast it is possible to visit an enchanting coastal village. With a large medieval castle, a well-kept historic center and a romantic riverside walk, Bosa is just 35 minutes from our Hotel la Baja.
This town is characterized by the only navigable river in Sardinia, the Temo, and by its multicolored houses that climb up the slopes of the Serravalle hill. On its summit the large Malaspina castle, from the twelfth century. Inside its walls is the beautiful church of Nostra Signora de sos Regnos Altos, which contains a cycle of paintings from the early fourteenth century.
Near Bosa you can also visit a splendid example of Romanesque architecture, the church of Our Lady of Regnos Altos, once a cathedral (the city of Bosa stood in a different position from the current one until 1500) and dating back to its original layout around to the year one thousand. Very well preserved, it is the oldest Romanesque church in Sardinia.
Now entering the heart of Montiferru, but only half an hour from our La Baja hotel, it is possible to visit the most fascinating village of Montiferru, which retains the memory of its medieval past while being surrounded by a dense and very green forest: Santu Lussurgiu. In an area rich in mineral springs, known since ancient times and which gives the name to the ancient village of San Leonardo of Siete Fuentes, this town has an active economy that derives from a flourishing iron craftsmanship. In fact, the horse harnesses made by the Luxurious artisan workshops are known throughout the world, just as his knives are equally appreciated. Small squares overlook the narrow streets.
In one of these there is the ancient church of Santa Croce, which was originally dedicated to San Lussorio (lussurgiu in Sardinian), while not far away you can visit that of Santa Maria degli Angeli, built in 1473 and which was part of a convent of friars minor.
Unmissable, just over 20 minutes away, is the source of Elighes Uttiosos (in Italian it could be translated as “holm oaks from which water flows”), within a forest that is more than 900 meters high. From there comes the stream which then flows into Santa Caterina di Pittinuri.
If you don’t really want to move around, you can reach Cuglieri in ten minutes by car. Founded by the Romans in the second century BC, it was an important center in particular for reasons related to agriculture and the church. During the Spanish feud, important land improvements made it a producer of excellent olive oil, which can be purchased locally even today, while the church has long had a great importance in city life due to the presence of the pontifical faculty of theology, today closed. Among the streets of the village it will be possible to come across artisan shops. Cuglieri is in fact particularly appreciated for the production of handcrafted cork objects, carpets, blankets, and for the characteristic carved wooden chests.
Where to sleep in Montiferru?
We hope to have given you some interesting ideas for spending pleasant days even when it rains in Santa Caterina di Pittinuri.
And now, let us describe our Felix Hotels La Baja.
This four-star hotel is located in Santa Caterina Pittinuri, and overlooks the beach of the same name and enjoys a unique view of the bay surrounded by the rocks of the western coast of Sardinia.
The relaxation, the swimming pool, the exceptional cuisine and the beach are ideal for a regenerating holiday in the beauty of the western coast of Sardinia.
We are waiting for you!
