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Excursions

Excursions on foot, on horseback and by bike in touch with nature or by car, heading for the most popular resorts in northern Sardinia,, from Castelsardo Alghero, stopping to visit the nuraghiand the Domus de Janas.

The Le Farfalle Residence is situated in a countryside clearing, surrounded by dense Mediterranean vegetation. There are several opportunities for choosing excursions on foot, on horseback, or by bike. In addition, there are also diving excursions and visits to sites of historical and cultural interest, all of which make up a complete and yet always different offer.

Excursions on foot, trekking and on horseback

Children will love exploring the greenery around the residence, where it’s easy to come across donkeys, sheep, cows and farmyard animals.
In springtime, you can take a walk looking for myrtle berries, the fruit of the strawberry tree and blackberries, which grow wild and abundantly in this area. In autumn, after the first rains, it’s easy to find snails and mushrooms, including the prized porcini.

Every day you can choose a different itinerary: on foot, on horseback or by bike, you can reach:

the plateau of Jana Cugnada: a natural terrace lying over 300 metres above sea level with a panoramic view of the entire Gulf of Asinara;
the Valle dell’Inferno (Valley of Hell): a nature area with a strking contrast between wild vegetation cover and rugged tuff cliffs;
the peak of Monte Elias: known for its Roman and Nuragic era archaeological remains, and today the destination for excursions due to its location overlooking a scenic valley of rare beauty.
the beautiful beaches of Castelsardo – Lu Bagnu-fraction-riding and walking on the seashore.

You can rent bicycles and mountain bikesat Le Farfalle.

Diving excursions

For lovers of diving excursions, the Secca di Castelsardo with its 2 itineraries deserves mention. You can visit two small natural caves at depths of 30 and 38 metres. From the point of view of wildlife, the most frequent encounters are those with shoals of snappers, crayfish, lobsters and spider crabs – some of them very big. Divers will appreciate this excursion because of the amazing clearness of the water, even at greater depths. You can participate in this and other numerous guided excursions organised by the Castelsardo Diving Centre.

Cultural excursions

Tergu

The first stop of historical interest lies just a few steps from the Residence: Tergu hosts a mediaeval monument that attracts all those who decide to visit the Anglona region. This monument is the Basilica of Nostra Signora di Tergu[1] in Romanesque style and later reconstructed in the Gothic and Baroque periods. The basilica is what now remains of a large Benedictine monastery which was destroyed and which, since 2003, has been the site of major excavation work to reinstate the entire structure.

The Via Crucis (Way of the Cross) of Tergu, inaugurated in the town’s Viale dei Benedettini, is also worth a visit. It has become famous for 15 life-size sculptures in trachyte.

Hinterland: nuraghi, Domus de Janas and Sedini

During a stay at Le farfalle, you can visit the hinterland’s various nuraghi (the closest is Padaggiu Leni), the famous Domus De Janas and the Roccia dell’Elefante (Elephant Rock) near Sedini: in less than half an hour you ccan reach the historic monuments of the Nuragic and Neolithic eras, and the incredible tuff formation eroded by weather into the unusual shape of an elephant.

We also recommend a stop in Sedini, otherwise known as the town of fairies – it’s up to you to discover its peculiarities and its historic churches.

Castelsardo

Castelsardo is a small jewel nestled on a rocky cliff of trachyte, which, thanks to the hundreds of lights of the old town at dusk, give it the appearance of a crib. Today, it is a fishing village given over to tourism, but its historic centre was founded in 1102 by the Genoese Doria family and later became an Aragonese village. The well maintained historic centre is made up of an unusual tangle of narrow streets that are still inhabited, and monuments of great value. Every day, there are free guided visits of the Castle of the Doria, the ramparts and the magnificent cathedral. A particularly folkloristic stop can be the Museo dell’Intreccio Mediterraneo (Mediterranean Weaving Museum). You can reachCastelsardo in less than 10 minutes by car.

Alghero

Alghero is a destination that is worth at least half a day. It used to be an ancient hamlet first settled by Catalans, many of whose traditions – from the dialect to culinary influences – survive to this day. Workshops and small shops represent the heart and soul of the well maintained historic centre, crossed by narrow alleyways that are still inhabited. Particularly evocative, especially at dusk, is the walk along the ancient ramparts overlooking the sea. Alghero is 65 km from the Residence.