It is one of the harshest and wildest areas in Sardinia, in the deep heart of the Barbagia area, where the ancient Late Nuragic peoples possibly put up their last, strenuous resistance to the conquest of the Island by Rome. The route along the Z14 stage of the Grand Italian Trail leads from the secrets of Mount Tiscali to the enchanting Lanaitto valley, continuing westwards towards Mount Maccione, overlooking Oliena and close to Mount Corrasi, and finally concluding the stage in the Bandiera Arancione (Orange Flag) village, ‘capital’ of Nepente wine. The trek up to Mount Maccione is for expert hikers, with a total elevation gain of 1950 metres.
Itinerary: 23 km
Walking travel time: 9 hours
From the starting point in the locality of Surtana, the path proceeds by tackling the ‘steps’ of the same name and going past the intersections with other trails. Not far away, the cuiles de sos Mojos appear and, a little further north, those of de sas Traes. After just over three kilometres, you will come to the Curtigia di Tiscali, the sinkhole that guards the mysterious Nuragic village, on the border of the Supramonte di Dorgali area.
The route then proceeds downhill until you enter the Lanaitto valley. The journey encounters unmissable attractions: the Corbeddu cave, the refuge of a famous bandit and a place in which ancient human remains were discovered; the caves of sa Oche ‘e su Bentu, kilometre-long cavities that seem to ‘talk’ to each other, and the Nuragic ‘manufacturing’ village of sa Sedda ‘e sos Carros.
Another three kilometres to the north will take you to the area of Gasole and then you’ll be heading south-east towards Sovana. The trek encounters other cuiles: Su Vicu, s'Uscradu and Orthini, and then it climbs towards Punta Cusidore, where a few mouflons may appear. You’ll then ‘go around’ Punta sos Nidos to the north and continue along path 401 towards Corrasi. The choice is between climbing the mountain to admire the spectacular view or turning off towards the Monte Maccione rest area.
To reach the first few houses in Oliena, there is an easy descent along provincial road SP22, with two and a half kilometres of hairpin bends in the middle of the woods. Once the trek is over, it’s time to taste the excellent products of the village that, according to Salvatore Satta, is “a wonderful town, at the foot of the most beautiful mountain that God created”.
