Su Gologone Experience Hotel
Why we like it: Seventy-room hotel in the Oliena countryside, beside the Su Gologone spring, with Sardinian art, a spring-water pool and the 1967 restaurant.
Duration2 nights, Friday to Sunday
From OlbiaAbout 2 h to Fonni (estimated)
From CagliariAbout 2 h 30 to Fonni (estimated)
CarEssential
Best timeMay, June, September and October
The plan
The plan, hour by hour
Designed to arrive on Friday afternoon and return on Sunday night, from May to October, when the Gennargentu ridge is free of snow. The first night in Fonni, 15 km from Bruncu Spina; the second at Su Gologone, at the foot of the Lanaittu valley, from where you climb to Tiscali.
Friday
- 117:00Arrival in Fonni
About two hours from Olbia or two and a half from Cagliari. Dinner at Su Barracu, the wood-and-stone restaurant of Hotel Cualbu.
Saturday
- 108:30Gennargentu ridge from Bruncu Spina
About 15 km of road to the station and about 4.9 km of path towards Punta La Marmora, the roof of Sardinia. Two hours each way; bring layers and warm clothes.
- 213:00Fonni
The Basilica of the Martyrs and the murals in the centre.
- 314:30Museo delle Maschere in Mamoiada
About 20 minutes away. Guided visit at 14:30, also in Spanish. €9.
- 416:30Orgosolo murals
A quarter of an hour away. A stroll along the main street and the side lanes; with luck, at the end of the day, without groups.
- 520:00Dinner and night at Su Gologone
About 25 minutes from Orgosolo. Suckling pig roasted in the fireplace; book the table with the room.
Sunday
- 109:00Tiscali with the Enis Cooperative
Meet at Monte Maccione, above Oliena. Land Rover to the foot of the mountain and an hour on foot. About three hours. Entry €6 in cash.
- 213:00Lunch at Monte Maccione
At the same arrival point: maharrones a busa, suckling pig or the Daddana menu.
- 315:30Su Gologone spring
A short walk to the turquoise pool and back to the airport.
The Barbagia is best toured from south to north, or the other way round: from Fonni, Sardinia's highest village, to Oliena, at the foot of the Supramonte, passing through Mamoiada and Orgosolo. With two nights you see the mountain, the villages and Tiscali without rushing and without repeating a road. If you arrive at Cagliari, start in Fonni, as here; if you arrive at Olbia, you can do it the same way or in reverse.
How do you get there from Olbia or Cagliari?
From Spain, fly to Olbia (OLB), with a direct flight from Barcelona, or to Cagliari (CAG), with a direct flight from Barcelona and Seville. Hire the car at the airport. Fonni is about two hours from Olbia and about two and a half hours from Cagliari (estimated). On Sunday, from Oliena, you return to Olbia in a little over an hour and a half or to Cagliari in almost three.
Where to stay?
| Accommodation | Where | Who it suits |
|---|---|---|
| Hotel Cualbu | Fonni, at about 1,000 m | For the mountain, with a pool and sauna |
| Su Gologone | Oliena countryside, beside the spring | For Tiscali and the best table in the area |
| Agriturismo Guthiddai | At the foot of the Corrasi, Oliena | A simple, countryside alternative to Su Gologone |
The first night, at the Hotel Cualbu, a family three-star with a Barbagia restaurant in the garden. The second, at Su Gologone, the hotel that grew out of a 1967 restaurant, with a spring-water pool. If you prefer something simpler, the Agriturismo Guthiddai.
Where to eat
Three different tables. Il Portico, in Orgosolo, with €22 and €23 menus with wine, if on Saturday you prefer to eat there rather than in Fonni. The Su Gologone restaurant, the dinner of the getaway. And Monte Maccione, the Barbagia menu with published prices from the Oliena cooperative.
What if you change a day?
With small children. Swap the ridge for a stroll round Fonni and the afternoon at the spring, with a play area; and Tiscali for the murals at a gentler pace.
With wine. If there are four adults, the tasting at Cantine di Orgosolo, two hours and from €25, fits on Saturday afternoon in place of Mamoiada.
In January. On 16 January swap the whole of Saturday for the Sant'Antonio bonfires in Mamoiada; the ridge will have snow.
Map
The stops, in order
What to do
Eat
88 €Stay
Services
Plan the trip
Barbagia, step by step
Each choice narrows the next: the season shapes how best to travel, and how you travel decides where you stay and where you eat.
When to go
When to go to Barbagia
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Best timeGood timeLow season
How you travel
The same break, your way
The plan stays the same. What changes is where you sleep, how you get there and how much you spend.
Flying to Olbia or Cagliari and Driving to the Barbagia
The Barbagia is in the centre of Sardinia, with no airport of its own. Olbia has a direct flight from Barcelona and is the shortest arrival: a little over an hour and a half to Oliena. Cagliari has a direct flight from Barcelona and Seville; from there it is about two and a half hours to Fonni. Alghero has no direct flight from Spain. In both cases, hire the car at the airport.
- Getting thereOlbia Costa Smeralda (OLB), with…
- Getting aroundHire car at the airport…
- Where to staySu Gologone, in Oliena, the…
- ServicesOlbia airport
Getting there
- Olbia Costa Smeralda (OLB), with a direct flight from Barcelona; Oliena a little over an hour and a half away (estimated)
- Cagliari Elmas (CAG), with a direct flight from Barcelona and Seville; Fonni about two and a half hours away (estimated)
- The Enis Cooperative, in Oliena, arranges transfers from ports and airports if you ask
Getting around
- Hire car at the airport: without it you cannot reach Tiscali, Su Gologone or Bruncu Spina
- If you enter via Cagliari, begin with Fonni and Mamoiada; if via Olbia, with Oliena
Where to stay
- Su Gologone, in Oliena, the first night if you arrive at Olbia
- Hotel Cualbu, in Fonni, the first night if you arrive at Cagliari
Services
- Olbia airport
- Cagliari airport
The Barbagia by Car
In the Barbagia a car is essential: the villages are 15 or 30 minutes from one another along mountain roads, and the Su Gologone spring, the Lanaittu valley and Bruncu Spina can only be reached by driving. Bear in mind that on the map everything looks closer than it is: there are many bends.
90–180 €per person per day, approximate
- Where to staySu Gologone Experience Hotel, in…
- Getting aroundFrom Olbia to Oliena, a…
- Where to eatSu Gologone, suckling pig roasted…
- ServicesCar hire at Olbia and…
Where to stay
- Su Gologone Experience Hotel, in the Oliena countryside, beside the spring
- Hotel Cualbu, in Fonni, for the upper part and the Gennargentu
- Agriturismo Guthiddai, a country house at the foot of the Corrasi
Getting around
- From Olbia to Oliena, a little over an hour and a half on the SS131 DCN (estimated)
- From Cagliari to Fonni, about two and a half hours on the SS131 (estimated)
- Oliena, Orgosolo, Mamoiada and Fonni, within a radius of about 40 minutes
- The Lanaittu valley track and the road to Monte Maccione are narrow
Where to eat
- Su Gologone, suckling pig roasted in the fireplace since 1967
- Monte Maccione, Barbagia menus from €31 to €44 and pizza
- Il Portico, in Orgosolo, menus of €22 and €23 with wine
Services
- Car hire at Olbia and Cagliari airports
How much does it cost?
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Where to stay
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Hotel Cualbu
Why we like it: Three-star hotel in Fonni, Sardinia's highest village, with a pool, sauna and Turkish bath, and a rustic restaurant of Barbagia cooking.
Agriturismo Guthiddai
Why we like it: Family farm stay of the Floris family at the foot of Monte Corrasi, in the Oliena countryside: air-conditioned rooms and cooking with vegetables, oil and wine from the farm.
Services for this trip
Where to eat
Where to eat in Barbagia
Ristorante Su Gologone
What to order: the porceddu allo spiedo roasted in the fireplace, the ricotta culurgiones or the maccarones de busa, and seadas with honey for dessert
Book for lunch or dinner with the form on its website or by WhatsApp. The website does not publish prices or hours.
Ristorante Pizzeria Monte Maccione
What to order: the maharrones a busa or the pane frattau as a first course, the porcetto arrosto or the cinghiale al Nepente as a main course, and the sevada hin mele; if there are two of you, the Daddana tasting menu
There are tasting menus from €31 to €44 per person, for a minimum of two. Bread and service, €3; cover charge with pizza, €2. Gluten-free option with a supplement.
Ristorante Pizzeria Il Portico
What to order: tourist menu no. 3, with maharrones de punzu with game ragù and myrtle mixed grill, or no. 1, with cured meats, pecorino and lisanzas alla barbaricina
Tourist menus at €22 and €23 with house Cannonau wine and water; one is vegetarian. The website does not publish the hours: call beforehand.
Tips
Worth knowing first
- 1Book the Tiscali excursion
The cooperative does not publish prices or places: confirm before you go.
- 2Bring cash
For the Tiscali entry.
- 3Bring warm clothes
In Fonni and at Bruncu Spina it is cool even in summer.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
How many nights do you need in the Barbagia?
Two for the mountain, the villages and Tiscali; with three you can add the Gulf of Orosei.
Where is it better to sleep, in Fonni or in Oliena?
In Fonni for the mountain; in Oliena for Tiscali and Su Gologone. This getaway does one night in each place.
Do you need a car?
Yes, for the whole route.
When should you go?
From May to October, when the Gennargentu ridge has no snow; in January, for the mamuthones.