What to do in Santa Caterina di Pittinuri if it rains?
14 December 2023
Montiferru is the closest thing you can find in Sardinia to the
The Felix Hotels – La Baja is a 4-star seaside hotel in Santa Caterina di Pittinuri, a fraction of Cuglieri, situated on the homonymous beach. It is in the Montiferru region, an extended area from the west coast to the mountains in central-western Sardinia, in the province of Oristano. A holiday in Santa Caterina di Pittinuri means panoramas and sunsets with magical colours, beautiful and uncrowded beaches, ancient villages with intact traditions, and protected natural areas.
Santa Caterina di Pittinurri, the seaside hamlet
The peculiar small village of Santa Caterina of Pittinurri, only a few steps from the Hotel La Baja, is a small hamlet of Cuglieri and over the centuries, from a simple stop for shepherds on their transhumance, has become a well-known seaside resort. Overlooking characteristic cliffs, with the Montiferru hills behind it, it is dominated by the 16th-century tower of Pittinuri and has among its pearls the homonymous 15th-century church.
What to see in the surroundings of Santa Caterina di Pittinurri and the west coast’s beaches
SOUTH
Sinis Peninsula
A protected area since 1997, the strip of land that extends to 26 thousand hectares of sea overlooks the island of Mal di Ventre (Malu Entu). It is a land full of biodiversity and beautiful landscapes between rocks and beaches. Turning to the south, the coast starts at Capo San Marco and continues to the wonderful beaches of San Giovanni di Sinis, Mari Ermi, Is Arutas, Maimoni and ends at the cliffs of Su Tingiosu. To the north, however, lies Capo Mannu with its lighthouse, the Saline and the beach of Putzu Idu. Enchanting beaches and coastlines all offer breathtaking sunsets with the sun disappearing below the line dividing sky and sea.
S’Archittu
The small arch, the symbol of this side of Sardinia, is located 7 kilometres away from Hotel La Baja. The rock formation was created over the centuries by the erosion of the sea on the limestone cliffs, creating a unique and impressive natural spectacle. A landscape completed by three mushroom-shaped islets. The cove can be reached directly from the tourist village by a walk along a paved path north of the houses.
Is Arenas
It means ‘the sands’ and specifically the ‘sand dunes’, among the most extensive in Italy. Behind it is a large green area with a pine forest and golf course. The beach, almost six kilometres long, is one of the longest beaches in the Oristano area, bordered to the north by the Torre del Pozzo point and to the south by a channel connecting the sea and the Is Benas pond.
Is Arutas
The most famous beach of Sinis Peninsula: is known as the beach of the grains of rice. This beach takes this name to the white and pink coloured grains of sand that characterize it. This unmissable beach – the jewel of Cabras area, which centre is 14 kilometres far – has frequently been defined as one of the most beautiful beaches in the world.
Capo Mannu
It is considered a gift from nature to wave surfers, the Mecca of Italian and Mediterranean surfing. The cape is exposed to all winds from the western quadrants, especially the mistral: a playground for surfers from all over the world who gather here in all seasons of the year. There are numerous schools on that stretch of coast where you can practice all board activities.
NORTH
Istrampu de Cabu Nieddu ( Capo Nieddu waterfall)
A waterfall that spills into the sea, a unique spectacle on the island, very rare in Italy, in the territory of Cuglieri, just nine kilometres from La Baja hotel. The waters of the Cabu Nieddu waterfall, with a drop of forty metres, plunge directly into the Sardinian Sea. From a natural amphitheatre carved into a stretch of high coastline between the famous baia de s’Archittu and the marina of Tresnuraghes.
Bosa
A 40-minute drive from La Baja hotel is one of the most picturesque villages in Italy, dominated by the medieval castle of the Malaspina family, with its multicoloured houses. In the middle of the village of Bosa is the mouth of the river Temo, which divides it in two. Rich in millenary traditions, such as its characteristic carnival, the village is visited by tourists throughout the year. The seaside part of the village is Bosa Marina, with a golden sandy beach that receives the 5 blue sails of Legambiente every year for its clear and clean waters. One of the other most popular beaches is S’Abba Druche.
NORTH
Istrampu de Cabu Nieddu ( Capo Nieddu waterfall)
A waterfall that spills into the sea, a unique spectacle on the island, very rare in Italy, in the territory of Cuglieri, just nine kilometres from La Baja hotel. The waters of the Cabu Nieddu waterfall, with a drop of forty metres, plunge directly into the Sardinian Sea. From a natural amphitheatre carved into a stretch of high coastline between the famous baia de s’Archittu and the marina of Tresnuraghes.
Bosa
A 40-minute drive from La Baja hotel is one of the most picturesque villages in Italy, dominated by the medieval castle of the Malaspina family, with its multicoloured houses. In the middle of the village of Bosa is the mouth of the river Temo, which divides it in two. Rich in millenary traditions, such as its characteristic carnival, the village is visited by tourists throughout the year. The seaside part of the village is Bosa Marina, with a golden sandy beach that receives the 5 blue sails of Legambiente every year for its clear and clean waters. One of the other most popular beaches is S’Abba Druche.
Culture and archaeology: what to discover
Tharros
One of Sardinia’s archaeological symbols is only half an hour by car away from Hotel La Baja: born as a Nuragic village then a Phoenician commercial hub, a Carthaginian fortress, a Roman urbs, a Byzantine administrative centre finally the capital of Arborea. Two thousand years of history to visit and discover. A natural amphitheatre – delimited by the isthmus of capo San Marco, the hills of San Giovanni of Sinis and of Su Murru Mannu (big face) – that faces the sea and on the top of which are ruins of Nuragic village abandoned before Phoenicians’ arrival.
Santu Lussurgiu
The village of water. Santu Lussurgiu, in the Montiferru area, is located at an altitude of 500 metres, set in an amphitheatre of volcanic origin and protected by forests that are watered by many springs, including those of San Leonardo di Siete Fuentes. Santu Lussurgiu is a medieval town, once a renowned cultural centre, the summer residence of nobles and men of letters. Today, its accommodation and restaurants are visited by tourists attracted by its historical centre, culture and excursions.
San Leonardo di Siete Fuentes
An abandoned hamlet in the middle of a forest of holm oaks, oaks and elms and close to famous springs. Its origins, dating back to the 12th century, are unclear but certainly predate Santu Lussurgiu, of which it is a hamlet and from which it is six kilometers away. It has always been inhabited: under the giudicati, first of Torres, then of Arborea. During the Spanish domination it became Siete Fuentes and, from the 18th century, Villa delle Sette fontane.
San Salvatore di Sinis
A small hamlet of low, white houses that is only inhabited for a few days in September, during the Corsa degli Scalzi. San Salvatore di Sinis, a hamlet of Cabras, from which it is nine kilometres along the road that leads to the splendid is Arutas beach and the ancient city of Tharros, is a small village that arose in a sacred area since the Nuragic age and was transformed for more than two decades (1967-90) into a ‘spaghetti western’ set.
What to eat in Santa Caterina di Pittinurri, in Montiferru and in Oristano province
The bottarga
The ‘real’ bottarga of Sardinia comes from this area. It is produced in Cabras only from the eggs of mullet caught in the ponds around Cabras and Oristano, then processed by hand and dried by the sun and the mistral.
Casizolu del Montiferru
Casizolu is a characteristic cheese from Montiferru, produced from the milk of the Sardinian-Modican or Brown-Sardinian cows, rustic cows reared year-round in the wild. The Presidium producers have been united in the Montiferru Casizolu Producers Association and have a production protocol that guarantees the entire supply chain.
Suppa de trigu cottu
Cooked wheat soup is a typical dish from Santu Lussurgiu and requires few ingredients. The wheat is boiled in salted water. Separately, chopped garlic, parsley and onion are sautéed, with the addition of lard and, later, water and peeled tomatoes. To this is added the boiled wheat and wild fennel. Milk is added at the end to flavour the soup.
Steaks and fillet of red beef
The Sardinian-Modican breed of cattle, mainly reared in the Santu Lussurgiu area, is particularly appreciated for its tasty meat. Red ox steaks are preferably roasted over charcoal, without the addition of spices. The breeders of the Sardinian-Modican breed have formed a consortium for its protection.
Panada of meat and vegetables
This is a typical speciality of Cuglieri. The dough is made of flour, lard, water and salt, and is filled with small pieces of beef and pork, browned separately in extra virgin olive oil and Vernaccia. The filling also includes sautéed vegetables (artichokes, peas, fresh broad beans), garlic, parsley, saffron, and pitted olives.
Montiferru is the closest thing you can find in Sardinia to the
Excursion to the Sinis peninsula, an unmissable stop on your holiday in
The land of vernaccia
Vernaccia di Oristano is a white grape variety typical of the province of Oristano, since the time of the Phoenicians who introduced it to the Oristano coastal area where, on the Sinis peninsula, they founded the ancient landing place of Tharros. Over time, its cultivation has remained limited almost exclusively to this territory. The name of this vine is said to be attributed to the Romans and indicates a ‘vernacula’ grape, i.e. a local grape. In addition to the DOC Vernaccia di Oristano, the first Denomination recognised in Sardinia in 1971, a young white wine is also made from this typical vine, which is marketed as IGT ‘Valle del Tirso’.
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