Stage 09 – from Tratalias to Calasetta (via Sant'Antioco)

Path Description

START: Tratalias Vecchia 15 m (a.s.l.)

FINISH: Calasetta 16 m (a.s.l.)

TECHNICAL DATA:

• Length: 38.6 km


• Elevation gain: +348 m and –351 m


• Maximum gradient: +11.8%


• Minimum gradient: -11.7%

 

STAGE DESCRIPTION:

Continuing along Via degli Angeli, which crosses the entire medieval village of Tratalias Vecchia, you reach the roundabout and then proceed for a few meters along the SP 74, immediately joining the rural road that continues southeast to reach the small bridge over the Rio Palmas.

After the bridge, continue on an unpaved road for about 950 m (a.s.l.) until you reach a crossroads. Here, take the dirt road on the left to enter the rural road Palmas Vecchia, which leads near the old center of Palmas and the Romanesque church of Santa Maria di Palmas.

Among the earliest examples of Romanesque architecture in Sardinia, dating to the first two decades of the 12th century, this church stands in the center of the old village of Palma, before the entire settlement was relocated. Historical records mention this building for the first time in 1066, when Orzocco-Torcotorio I de Lacon-Gunale, judge of Cagliari, donated it to Montecassino.

Made of medium-sized limestone and trachyte blocks, the church has a single nave with an apse facing northeast, a gabled façade, and a bell-cot at the end.

Continuing on the unpaved road, you soon meet the SS 195. Turning left onto the main road, cross the bridge over the Rio Palmas, then immediately turn left onto a dirt track that, through country roads, quickly takes you to the paved road leading to the entrance to the Saline (salt pans).

Once on the long avenue leading to the Saline entrance, you must stop and carefully read the noticeboard before the small bridge. After reading the rules that allow access to the operating worksite that is the Saline itself, cross the dedicated gate and register as required. Once this is done, you can proceed through this section within the Saline area and admire the striking scenery offered by the hyaline basins of the salt concentration system.

It is strictly forbidden to leave the marked trail along this route, as the salt pan site is an active worksite and movement of heavy machinery must not be obstructed by cyclists or pilgrims.

Exiting the Saline area, you reach the Navy lighthouse, where, as previously mentioned, the stage rejoins the alternate route, first proceeding along the port quay and then up the ramp that allows you to take the SS 126 near the bridge connecting the island of Sant’Antioco to Sardinia.

In the area of the ramp connecting to the SS 126, you can admire the bridge built in Roman times, which served as a connection between the two islands.

Once on Sant’Antioco, the route continues through the town’s streets, following the urban stretch of the SS 126, along Via Nazionale and then Via Roma, reaching Piazza Umberto.

From here, the route follows Via Azuni, on the left side of the square, until you reach the Basilica of Sant'Antioco Martire (open for visits; check opening hours), with its paleo-Christian catacombs. After visiting the Bisso Museum located near the basilica, this stage ends.

The Catacombs of the Sant’Antioco necropolis are among the oldest testimonies of Christianity in Sardinia. The burial site was created by connecting Punic burial chambers from the 5th century BC so that the first members of the new Christian community could be buried as close as possible to the Saint’s tomb.

The catacombs are accessed from the church and consist of an initial chamber with an apse whose vault is supported by six columns. At the center is a sarcophagus where the martyr's remains are said to have been kept.

Near the Basilica, you can also visit the Bisso Marino Museum, dedicated to a unique material also known as sea silk. This animal-based textile fiber is a type of marine silk produced from the filaments secreted by the Mediterranean endemic bivalve mollusk Pinna nobilis, commonly known as the pen shell.

The processing of this material is an ancient craft still practiced today by master Chiara Vigo, the only woman in the world still able to spin and weave according to the millenary tradition brought to Sardinia by the Phoenicians.

Before leaving Sant’Antioco, it is recommended to visit the numerous archaeological sites in this picturesque seaside town, especially the Punic Necropolis of Sulchi, the Tophet (the open sacred area where urns containing the cremated remains of infants who were stillborn or died at a very young age were placed), the Ferruccio Barrecca Archaeological Museum, and the Phoenician Arena.

The Punic Necropolis of Sulky, unique of its kind, covers about 10 hectares and contains thousands of tombs carved into the rocky outcrop.

The burials were reserved for family groups, following precise ritual codes. The tombs feature a narrow corridor, known as a “dromos,” consisting of a staircase and landing, and a simple, usually square access opening to the funerary chamber, often with an internal partition. The body was placed inside a wooden sarcophagus and accompanied by precious grave goods. Important finds have been made in this necropolis, bringing to light unique sculptures.

The Phoenician-Punic Tophet of Sant’Antioco is the open-air sanctuary dedicated to receiving the ashes of infants who were stillborn or died very young. Dating back to the first half of the 8th century BC, it is situated on the summit and slope of a trachyte hill, where a large worked rock stands out (originally associated with rituals of infant sacrifice), whose exact function is still unknown. Made up of a series of enclosures built from stone and clay mortar, it looks like a field of urns set into the natural cracks in the rock. Over 2000 urns have been identified, dating chronologically from 750 to 525 BC. Among the oldest, most are of Phoenician origin. Three urns, dated between the mid-8th and 7th centuries BC, show the blend of Phoenician and Nuragic influences. Among the more than 1750 stelae discovered in the Tophet, several bear dedicatory inscriptions carved or painted.

The “Ferruccio Barreca Archaeological Museum” preserves and displays many of the artifacts from the island of Sant’Antioco and the sites mentioned above.

The collection mainly refers to the urban settlement dating back to the 8th century BC, known as Sulky or Sulci.

After visiting these unique and evocative sites, which can also be seen during the next stage heading towards Carbonia, as you must pass through Sant’Antioco again, the route continues along the former coastal railway, now a cycle path, which starts from the northern end of the tourist port and runs along the entire northeastern part of Sant’Antioco island, reaching the Stagno Salato di Cirdu used for fish farming and the hamlet of Cussorgia (Calasetta), finally joining the SS 126 near the town of Calasetta.

After about 300 meters towards Calasetta on the SS 126, turn left at the fork and head into the Calasetta countryside.

Take a rural road that for the first 500 m runs perpendicular to the main road, then turns left heading south and continues in that direction until you reach a crossroads, where you turn right near B.co Scarperino.

From here, take the road towards the locality known as Nido dei Passeri, and, upon reaching this spectacular cliff, right near the parking area, turn right towards the northwest to reach first the area of the Mangia Barche rock and then Spiaggia Grande, close to the Old Tuna Fishery of Calasetta.

Turning right and passing the beach parking lots, take Via Tonnara and after about 500 m turn left, taking the road towards Le Saline.

After passing the no-longer-operational Calasetta salt pan, continue northeast along Via Salina to first reach the Sottotorre beach and then take Via Sotto Torre to enter the town.

Climbing the promontory overlooking the beach and taking Via Savoia, at the fifth intersection turn left and arrive at Piazzetta Pietro Belly by the Calasetta Town Hall, where this stage ends.