Path Description
DEPARTURE: Buggerru 1 m (asl)
ARRIVAL: Pitzinurri 369 m (asl)
TECHNICAL DATA:
- Length: 34.5 km
- Difference in altitude: +1014 m and –685 m
- Maximum gradient + 13.8%
- Minimum gradient -12.1%
- Highest point: Bidderdi Pass and SP66 road to Pitzinurri / 464 m above sea level
Possible detours to visit notable points:
COME AND GO PORTIXEDDU
Length: 695 m
Start/end point (junction of road to Fighezia / Portixeddu): h: 15 m (asl)
Lowest point (Small square below Via degli Asfodeli): h: 8 m (asl).
DIRT ROAD ROUTE GENNAMARI – VILLA IDINA
Stage Length with Variant: 50.0 km
Length of the variant including the comings and goings 75.1 km
Elevation Gain/Loss: +1215 m / -1147 m
Max gradient: 13.6% / -13.1%
Average slope: +4.2% / -3.8%
Variant junction (dirt road to the former mining village of Gannamari) at Km 35.8 of the stage
Variante exit (Immediately after Posada di Pitzinurri – Dirt road descent to Villa Idina) at Km 45.1 of the stage
Highest point (on dirt road Gennamari – Villa Idina near P.ta Lorenzeddu): h: 415 m (asl).
STAGE DESCRIPTION:
Leaving the town of Buggerru and heading towards Portixeddu, continue along the Provincial Road SP83 which initially climbs up the ridge overlooking the beach of Buggerru and the Laveria Malfidano, before descending towards the coastal beach system of San Nicolò and Portixeddu.
After passing the beaches, following the seafront, you reach the intersection where, if you turn left, you will reach the hamlet of Portixeddu and allow you to reach the crossroads where, turning right, you can continue on the stage on a dirt road, while turning left you can travel a short stretch of the 1* out-and-back route to visit the small hamlet of Portixeddu (Fluminimaggiore), perched at the end of the long sandy coastline.
Continuing on the stage and taking the path on the right at the crossroads, you proceed for about 1.7 km on a partially asphalted road that passes through the riparian countryside, near Portixeddu, arrives near the locality of Fighezia, and then turns north, right at the crossroads that leads to the current Posada di Portixeddu, located near the Hotel Golfo del Leone.
Proceeding north, the route climbs with an average gradient of 6%, on a sandy dirt road that leads to the small saddle (238 m above sea level) between Punta Genn'e Carru and Monte Rana.
Once you reach the saddle, you begin to descend, always on the same dirt road, arriving at the intersection with the asphalt road of Scivu.
Taking this road, turning left, you will shortly reach the intersection with the road that leads to the Scivu beach car park (in summer this equipped area is served by a kiosk where you can therefore find refreshments).
Continuing along the asphalt road known as the Scivu municipal road, which goes slightly uphill, you finally reach a crossroads where, on the left, you reach the entrance to the Is Arenas Penal Colony and where the road is then closed, while on the right, you enter the road which, climbing with a moderate gradient (4.1% initially) in a southerly direction, then turns to proceed north and climb to pass the vast dune system of Piscinas and reach the ruins of the village of the old Gennamari mine (438 m above sea level).
2* At kilometre 25.3 and at an elevation of 413 m above sea level, there is a crossroads that leads onto a dirt road that offers an alternative route to reach Pitzinurri, namely the one from the Gennnamari Mine.
Continuing on the asphalt, however, the route continues to climb and shortly after reaches the SS 126 which you take by turning left.
After 4.8 km on the SS 126 state road, you will find the crossroads for Pitzinurri, which you take by turning left and taking the SP 66 which, after a few downhill bends, takes you to Pitzinurri and in particular to the Posada della Fondazione CMSB, where this stage ends and where cyclists and bikes can find shelter.
3* For those who want to extend this route further, it is possible to take the road that from Pitzinurri goes down to Piscinas beach, from which you then have to go back up following the same route.
1* COME AND GO PORTIXEDDU
Taking the road to Portixeddu, you immediately arrive at the small square overlooking the beach below and offering a beautiful view of the entire coast.
Returning to the crossroads, take the dirt road to resume the stage.
2nd DIRT ROAD ROUTE GENNAMARI – VILLA IDINA
Taking the dirt road, you continue at altitude and after passing the ruins of the Gennamari Mine, enjoying a wonderful view of the Piscinas dunes below, you pass onto a mining road full of excavations and traces of past mining activity.
This path, which is not particularly easy to walk on, ends near the remains of Villa Idina, a splendid example of an Art Nouveau building, which was the summer residence of the president of the Pertusola Mining Limited Company, Lord Brassey, who dedicated this structure to his wife, Lady Idina.
After passing the villa, proceed with caution because, towards the end of the variant, the dirt road is very rough due to rain and lack of regular maintenance. If necessary, proceed with caution, and less experienced cyclists should dismount and walk the last 200 meters (above sea level).
Once the challenging descent is over, we reach the SP 04 which reconnects us to the Stage.
3* COME AND GO POOLS
With a descent of approximately 7.8 km and a climb of the same length with a 3.5% gradient, this long back-and-forth route takes us to encounter numerous elements of past mining activity.
After leaving the village of Ingurtosu, shortly after, on the left, you come across Pozzo Gal, named after Paul Gal, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Penarroya, a French multinational that owned the Pertusola mines in Italy in the 1920s. The shaft, located in the Harold Shipyard, reaches a depth of approximately 200 meters and entered service in 1923. Pozzo Gal was designed for the underground mining of the blende minerals of the Brassey vein, which were treated in the nearby flotation washery, and was in use from 1926.
Today the mining site has been restored and converted into a multimedia museum of “mining memory” which can be visited by reservation.
At the end of the asphalt road you come across the ruins of Pozzo Lamberti and the remains of the mining village of Naracauli.
Shortly after, descending the dirt road, you can admire the imposing ruins of the Brassey Washery, which still demonstrate the architectural care given to industrial buildings from the early 1900s. Located in the abandoned village of Naracauli, it takes its name from the mine's owner, the Englishman Lord Thomas Allnutt Brassey, and began operation in the early 1900s. Designed primarily for the processing of blended materials, from which zinc is primarily extracted, the plant was served by several nearby shafts, from which the ore was transported to the washery via cable cars and narrow-gauge railways. The plant served to separate the mineralized particles from the quartz gangue and was for years one of the most important hydrogravimetric plants in Sardinia. Dismantled in the 1970s, it today represents one of the most evocative and significant icons of Sardinia's architectural mining heritage.
Continuing along the dirt road you reach the Piscinas beach car park near the Ara del Sole monument by the sculptor Pietro Casella.
Once you reach the beach, you have to take the road you took downhill and go back up to Ingurtosu to resume the route.
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