# Two nights in the Barbagia from Olbia or Cagliari: the Gennargentu from Fonni, Mamoiada, Orgosolo and Tiscali with a guide

First night in Fonni and the Gennargentu ridge, the Mamoiada museum and the Orgosolo murals, second night at Su Gologone and Tiscali with a guide before heading back.

Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/italy/sardinia/barbagia/itineraries/barbagia-two-nights-fonni-to-oliena · Revisado: 2026-11-13

Dónde: Barbagia

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?

AccommodationWhereWho it suits

Hotel CualbuFonni, at about 1,000 mFor the mountain, with a pool and sauna

Su GologoneOliena countryside, beside the springFor Tiscali and the best table in the area

Agriturismo GuthiddaiAt the foot of the Corrasi, OlienaA 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.

## El plan

### Friday · 17:00 · Arrival 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 · 08:30 · Gennargentu 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.

### Saturday · 13:00 · Fonni
The Basilica of the Martyrs and the murals in the centre.

### Saturday · 14:30 · Museo delle Maschere in Mamoiada
About 20 minutes away. Guided visit at 14:30, also in Spanish. €9.

### Saturday · 16:30 · Orgosolo 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.

### Saturday · 20:00 · Dinner and night at Su Gologone
About 25 minutes from Orgosolo. Suckling pig roasted in the fireplace; book the table with the room.

### Sunday · 09:00 · Tiscali 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.

### Sunday · 13:00 · Lunch at Monte Maccione
At the same arrival point: maharrones a busa, suckling pig or the Daddana menu.

### Sunday · 15:30 · Su Gologone spring
A short walk to the turquoise pool and back to the airport.

## Consejos

### Book the Tiscali excursion
The cooperative does not publish prices or places: confirm before you go.

### Bring cash
For the Tiscali entry.

### Bring warm clothes
In Fonni and at Bruncu Spina it is cool even in summer.

## Preguntas frecuentes

### 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.

## Dónde dormir if you're flying
- **Su Gologone Experience Hotel**: A hotel that grew out of a restaurant
Su Gologone is in the heart of the Oliena countryside, about 500 metres from the spring that gives it its name, among olive trees and with the limestone wall of the Supramonte behind. It began as a restaurant in 1967: it was opened by Giuseppe "Peppeddu" Palimodde and Pasqua Salis Palimodde, and the success of its cooking brought the first eight rooms. By 1975 there were 33; today there are seventy. It is run by three generations of women of the family: Pasqua, Giovanna and Camilla. Giovanna is the one who redoes the decoration each year.
It is a hotel of whitewashed houses, courtyards and stairways, full of 20th-century Sardinian art, textiles, ceramics and objects of the island. It has its own shops, Le Botteghe d'Arte.
The rooms
They range from the Classic, of 18 m², to the Deluxe of 20 to 25 m², the Deluxe Emotion with a bath on the terrace or balcony, the Junior Suites of 25 to 30 m² with a sitting area and the Suite dell'arte, with separate bedroom and living room surrounded by works from the collection. The Suite Colores is an open space of 35 to 40 m² for three people. The most distinctive are the Experience Suite, with traditional objects and materials, the Experience Wild Suite, designed for sleeping under the stars, and the Art Studio Villa, with a private pool.
Pool, wellness and food
The pool is 25 metres long and is filled with water from the Su Gologone spring; next to it is a whirlpool bath. There is an outdoor gym, in the garden beside the pool, and a wellness area. The restaurant is the original one, with the fireplace where suckling pig is roasted; for guests, dinners are also opened in the vegetable garden, under the olive trees or beside the bread oven, and breakfast includes Oliena honey, cheeses, cured meats and sweets made each day.
Getting there
From Olbia, a little over an hour and a half by car; from Cagliari, about three hours (estimated). The hotel is about 6 km from Oliena on the Dorgali road. It is the most comfortable base for Tiscali and the Lanaittu valley, which begin next door, and is less than an hour from Orgosolo and Mamoiada. The website does not publish prices, check-in and check-out times or whether dogs are allowed: ask when you book.
- **Hotel Cualbu**: A mountain hotel in the highest village
Hotel Cualbu is in Fonni, at about 1,000 metres, in the Barbagia di Ollolai, at the foot of the Gennargentu. It is a family three-star, that of Giuseppe Cualbu, which has received travellers since the late 1970s and has been refurbished in a classic-modern style. It is the practical base for the upper part of the Barbagia: the Bruncu Spina station is about 15 km away, and Mamoiada, with its mask museum, about 20 minutes.
The rooms
There are two types. The Standard rooms have a bathroom with shower, satellite television and telephone. The Superior add a safe, minibar, whirlpool bath and heating. Wifi is free throughout the hotel. The website does not say how many rooms there are or publish prices: you book from its booking engine or by phone.
Pool, sauna and restaurant
It has a pool and a children's pool, a small gym and a wellness centre with a Finnish sauna, at 80–90 °C, and a Turkish bath, good after a day in the mountains. There is a garden for the aperitivo and a dance hall.
The restaurant, Su Barracu, is in the garden, in a building of wood and stone that imitates the mountain houses of Fonni's shepherds. It serves Barbagia cooking: wild boar ham and sausages, pecorino and Barbagia reds. Some evenings there are dances and songs in the traditional dress of Fonni during dinner.
Getting there
Fonni is about two hours from Olbia and about two and a half hours from Cagliari by car (estimated). It is the side of the Barbagia closest to Cagliari: if you arrive from the south, start here. The hotel is on Via del Lavoro, in the village. The hotel also organises excursions in the Gennargentu and the Supramonte.
- **Agriturismo Guthiddai**: A country house under the Corrasi
Guthiddai is a family farm stay, that of the Floris family, in the Oliena countryside. It lies at the foot of Monte Corrasi, the limestone massif that dominates the village: from the courtyard you see the grey walls of the Supramonte right above. They are low whitewashed houses, with red tiles and a courtyard with benches and flowers, among the family's vegetable garden, olive trees and vineyards. The east coast, that of the Gulf of Orosei, is about 17 km away.
It is the simplest accommodation on this list, and the most rural: here there is no pool or spa, but silence, countryside and home cooking.
Rooms and food
The family describes its rooms as well kept, with air conditioning and all the comforts; there is wifi. The website does not say how many there are or publish prices: you book by phone or WhatsApp.
What counts most is the table. The cooking uses mainly what comes from the farm, from the garden vegetables to the oil and the wine, and what they do not produce they buy locally: pasta, cured meats, fruit. They are Sardinian-tradition dishes made at home. Meals can also be booked if you are not staying.
Excursions from the door
The family helps organise the trip, and the area offers a lot: canoeing on the Cedrino river and its lake, trekking and climbing in the Supramonte, guided excursions, on horseback or by off-road vehicle to Tiscali and the Gola di Gorropu, and meals with shepherds beside the sheepfolds that still remain in the mountains. The Su Gologone spring is a few minutes by car.
Before booking
The farm stay's website is old (its copyright is 2018) and does not publish prices, check-in and check-out times, pet rules or opening season. Call +39 0784 286017 or write on WhatsApp to +39 349 267 2159 and confirm everything. You need a car to get there: from Olbia it is a little over an hour and a half (estimated).

## Dónde dormir if you're driving
- **Su Gologone Experience Hotel**: A hotel that grew out of a restaurant
Su Gologone is in the heart of the Oliena countryside, about 500 metres from the spring that gives it its name, among olive trees and with the limestone wall of the Supramonte behind. It began as a restaurant in 1967: it was opened by Giuseppe "Peppeddu" Palimodde and Pasqua Salis Palimodde, and the success of its cooking brought the first eight rooms. By 1975 there were 33; today there are seventy. It is run by three generations of women of the family: Pasqua, Giovanna and Camilla. Giovanna is the one who redoes the decoration each year.
It is a hotel of whitewashed houses, courtyards and stairways, full of 20th-century Sardinian art, textiles, ceramics and objects of the island. It has its own shops, Le Botteghe d'Arte.
The rooms
They range from the Classic, of 18 m², to the Deluxe of 20 to 25 m², the Deluxe Emotion with a bath on the terrace or balcony, the Junior Suites of 25 to 30 m² with a sitting area and the Suite dell'arte, with separate bedroom and living room surrounded by works from the collection. The Suite Colores is an open space of 35 to 40 m² for three people. The most distinctive are the Experience Suite, with traditional objects and materials, the Experience Wild Suite, designed for sleeping under the stars, and the Art Studio Villa, with a private pool.
Pool, wellness and food
The pool is 25 metres long and is filled with water from the Su Gologone spring; next to it is a whirlpool bath. There is an outdoor gym, in the garden beside the pool, and a wellness area. The restaurant is the original one, with the fireplace where suckling pig is roasted; for guests, dinners are also opened in the vegetable garden, under the olive trees or beside the bread oven, and breakfast includes Oliena honey, cheeses, cured meats and sweets made each day.
Getting there
From Olbia, a little over an hour and a half by car; from Cagliari, about three hours (estimated). The hotel is about 6 km from Oliena on the Dorgali road. It is the most comfortable base for Tiscali and the Lanaittu valley, which begin next door, and is less than an hour from Orgosolo and Mamoiada. The website does not publish prices, check-in and check-out times or whether dogs are allowed: ask when you book.
- **Hotel Cualbu**: A mountain hotel in the highest village
Hotel Cualbu is in Fonni, at about 1,000 metres, in the Barbagia di Ollolai, at the foot of the Gennargentu. It is a family three-star, that of Giuseppe Cualbu, which has received travellers since the late 1970s and has been refurbished in a classic-modern style. It is the practical base for the upper part of the Barbagia: the Bruncu Spina station is about 15 km away, and Mamoiada, with its mask museum, about 20 minutes.
The rooms
There are two types. The Standard rooms have a bathroom with shower, satellite television and telephone. The Superior add a safe, minibar, whirlpool bath and heating. Wifi is free throughout the hotel. The website does not say how many rooms there are or publish prices: you book from its booking engine or by phone.
Pool, sauna and restaurant
It has a pool and a children's pool, a small gym and a wellness centre with a Finnish sauna, at 80–90 °C, and a Turkish bath, good after a day in the mountains. There is a garden for the aperitivo and a dance hall.
The restaurant, Su Barracu, is in the garden, in a building of wood and stone that imitates the mountain houses of Fonni's shepherds. It serves Barbagia cooking: wild boar ham and sausages, pecorino and Barbagia reds. Some evenings there are dances and songs in the traditional dress of Fonni during dinner.
Getting there
Fonni is about two hours from Olbia and about two and a half hours from Cagliari by car (estimated). It is the side of the Barbagia closest to Cagliari: if you arrive from the south, start here. The hotel is on Via del Lavoro, in the village. The hotel also organises excursions in the Gennargentu and the Supramonte.
- **Agriturismo Guthiddai**: A country house under the Corrasi
Guthiddai is a family farm stay, that of the Floris family, in the Oliena countryside. It lies at the foot of Monte Corrasi, the limestone massif that dominates the village: from the courtyard you see the grey walls of the Supramonte right above. They are low whitewashed houses, with red tiles and a courtyard with benches and flowers, among the family's vegetable garden, olive trees and vineyards. The east coast, that of the Gulf of Orosei, is about 17 km away.
It is the simplest accommodation on this list, and the most rural: here there is no pool or spa, but silence, countryside and home cooking.
Rooms and food
The family describes its rooms as well kept, with air conditioning and all the comforts; there is wifi. The website does not say how many there are or publish prices: you book by phone or WhatsApp.
What counts most is the table. The cooking uses mainly what comes from the farm, from the garden vegetables to the oil and the wine, and what they do not produce they buy locally: pasta, cured meats, fruit. They are Sardinian-tradition dishes made at home. Meals can also be booked if you are not staying.
Excursions from the door
The family helps organise the trip, and the area offers a lot: canoeing on the Cedrino river and its lake, trekking and climbing in the Supramonte, guided excursions, on horseback or by off-road vehicle to Tiscali and the Gola di Gorropu, and meals with shepherds beside the sheepfolds that still remain in the mountains. The Su Gologone spring is a few minutes by car.
Before booking
The farm stay's website is old (its copyright is 2018) and does not publish prices, check-in and check-out times, pet rules or opening season. Call +39 0784 286017 or write on WhatsApp to +39 349 267 2159 and confirm everything. You need a car to get there: from Olbia it is a little over an hour and a half (estimated).