Aritzo Adventure

Welcome to Aritzo, in the heart of Sardinia! Among the most evocative routes in the Aritzese area there is undoubtedly the one that leads to the ancient Neviere (houses of snow): deep circular wells delimited by dry stone walls where the snow was deposited, subsequently collected during the summer, when it was transformed into blocks of ice and transported and sold to the rest of the island and with which the Aritzese prepared the Carapigna, a delicious forerunner of the ice, lemon and sugar sorbet we know today.

To reach them, we start with the Buggy: at 800 meters above sea level, surrounded by chestnut trees, it anticipates the wonder of the paths to be traveled within fairy-tale scenarios. Dense centuries-old woods of oaks, rocky dwellings of numerous waterfalls and Mediterranean scrub hide sheepfolds inhabited over the centuries by shepherds who spent the long periods of transhumance here. Going up the same ancient mule tracks, traveled in the past by carts pulled by mules or horses of the ice traders, you arrive on a large platform dominated by the fire lookout o fMont’e Tuvara. Located at an altitude of 1380 meters, it dominates the whole valley of the Flumendosa and when the sky is clear, the horizon stretches as far as the sea that washes along the coast of Oristano. Here, a stop with the buggies is worthwhile to continue on foot with an agile and short trek up to the plateau of the two pure and very fresh water springs of Congiada Fountain, included in the Site of Community Interest of the Gennargentu Mountains, at an altitude of 1450 metres, a realm of silence, where, in accordance with this characteristic, it is not infrequent to come across some specimens of moufflon, the island’s symbolic animal, perhaps introduced by the neolithic mem in Sardinia but also beautiful wild horses while the eagle, queen of the skies of Gennargentu, flies high. Once you arrive you will also have the opportunity to participate in a laboratory for the preparation of sorbet using the ancient tools, a truly unique experience.

On the second day, an exciting trek to the highest point of the island awaits you. The Gennargentu is the highest mountain range on the island and the peak that bears the name of the Savoyard general, sits at 1834 meters above sea level. To lose your gaze in a panorama that takes your breath away, a few hours of walking along a well-signposted and never too demanding path is enough. One of the most popular is certainly the one that leads from S’Arena to Punta La Marmora: about 14 kilometers round trip, for a total of five hours of walking. Stop at the ruins of the La Marmora Refuge to have a packed lunch. The journey continues up to the top, from where it is possible to admire a 360-degree panorama that goes from north to south, from east to west, from the sea to the profiles of the other mountains of the island, starting with the closest Supramonte. After having experienced the great emotion of having conquered the highest point in Sardinia, and having left a signature in the appropriate diary contained in a metal box, you take the same path of the outward journey until you return exactly to the starting point, in locality of S’Arena. The Punta La Marmora trek is perhaps the most evocative of those possible on the Gennargentu. It is above all for the panorama with few equals, but also for the immediate surrounding environment. In fact, the path develops between some stony ground and particularly low vegetation due to the harsh winter temperatures. The context, especially in the warmer months, is almost lunar. Among other things, close encounters with the numerous animal species that inhabit the massif, such as sheep, cows, horses, moufflons and birds, starting with the golden eagle, are not at all rare.