• The old town centres of Alghero and Bosa



• Lake Temo and Monte Minerva



• The griffon vulture



• Slow food district of Montiferru



• The Sinis wetlands and the Tharros archaeological site

Programme

Arrival day
Transfer or individual arrival at Alghero, meet up with the Dolcevita rep for a briefing on the route, handover of bicycles and info pack. Dinner and overnight stay.

1st day: Alghero loop tour (47/62 km)
Your tour starts with a visit by bike to the old fortifications and the appealing historic centre of Alghero, a splendid Aragonese city. Leaving Alghero, we come to the prehistoric bastion of Nuraghe Palmavera. Then on to Capo Caccia, an imposing rocky outcrop 168 m high, looking out over the sea and then to lake Baratz, the only natural lake in Sardinia where you can visit the Environmental Education Experience Centre. Back to Alghero through countryside covered with vineyards and olive groves, producing world renowned oil and wines.

2nd day: Alghero – Villanova Monteleone (km 38)
Leaving the ancient walls and lively alleys of Alghero behind you, you will plunge into the wild Sardinian interior, with some splendid scenery along the route: lake Cuga, the valleys, the slopes and headlands between the small towns of Putifigari and Villanova Monteleone. In Villanova you will stay in charming restored old house located in the centre of the village.

3rd day: Villanova Monteleone – Bosa (km 40)
As you leave Villanova you find the prehistoric tomb (Domus de Janas) of Pottu Codinu, and lake Temo. The route winds through the valley of the river Temo, where you will discover part of the area where the griffon vulture nests, amongst ilex and cork oak, then enjoying the magnificent long drop down to Montresta: 9 km towards the sea, as far as Bosa.

4th day: Bosa loop tour (20/62 km)
The short leg meanders through the vineyards along the Malvasia wine route, with tasting of these famous DOC wines at the various caves. The long leg is a ring route round the area where the griffons nest, going up towards Montresta and passing by the nuraghe Appiu, as far as the spectacular rocky outcrops and inlets of Capo Marrargiu, where if you are lucky you’ll be able to see the swooping flight of this rare breed of Mediterranean vulture. If you’d rather take a break, you can spend the day discovering Bosa: the fascinating Malaspina Castle, the Medieval quarter with its pastel-coloured houses with red trachyte decorations, small goldsmiths’ shops and charming beaches. The long leg takes you to Bosa through the woods and pasturelands of the uplands of Mara, Padria and Pozzomaggiore, also allowing a stop at the Suni Archaeological Park.

5th day: Bosa – Santu Lussurgiu (54 km)
Today’s route is flanked by vineyards and olive groves as far as Flussio and Tinnura, two small towns famous for their reed and wicker baskets and for their murales (wall paintings). Then on through the pasturelands of Sagama, with Mediterranean brush landscape stretching as far as the eye can see, until you reach the springs of San Leonardo, the area richest in water of the whole of Sardinia. At Santu Lussurgiu a well-deserved rest at a charming diffuse hotel, consisting of several tastefully restored old houses.

6th day:Santu Lussurgiu – San Salvatore di Sinis (50 km)
Today you will discover the splendid natural scenery of the Montiferru, a ‘slow-food’ area famous for its much appreciated Sardinian-Modican cows and its typical casizzolu, a stretched curd cheese. The land slopes down to the sea, bringing us to the Marine Protected Area of the Sinis, home to pink flamingo and herons. Here we take a dirt track flanking a series of white quartz beaches. Then on through a charming fishermen’s hamlet, where you will find one of the most important Early Christian churches in Sardinia, and continue to Tharros, a fascinating archaeological site on the sea shore, with a wealth of Phoenician and Roman remains. The tour ends at San Salvatore Sinis.

Departure day
After breakfast, end of services.