Path Description
DEPARTURE: Old Tratalias 15 m (asl)
ARRIVAL: Calasetta 16 m (asl)
TECHNICAL DATA:
- Length: 38.6 km
- Difference in altitude: +348 m and –351 m
- Maximum gradient + 11.8%
- Minimum gradient - 11.7%
STAGE DESCRIPTION:
Continuing along Via degli Angeli, which cuts through the entire medieval village of Tratalias Vecchia, you reach the roundabout, and from here you proceed by taking the SP 74 for a few meters and immediately entering the farm road that continues south-east to reach the small bridge over the Rio Palmas.
After the small bridge, continue on a dirt road for about 950 m (asl) until you reach a crossroads and here, taking the dirt road on the left, you enter the Palmas Vecchia farm road which takes you near the old centre of Palmas and close to the Romanesque church of Santa Maria di Palmas.
Among the buildings of the first phase of Romanesque architecture in Sardinia, dating back to the first two decades of the 12th century, the small church stands in the center of the old village of Palma, before the entire village was relocated. Historical documents mention this structure for the first time in 1066, when it was donated to Montecassino by Orzocco-Torcotorio I de Lacon-Gunale, a judge of Cagliari.
Built in medium-sized limestone and trachyte blocks, it has a single nave with an apse facing north-east, the façade is gabled while the terminal part is characterised by a bell gable.
Continuing along the dirt road, you soon come across the SS 195 and turning left onto the main road, you cross the bridge over the Rio Palmas and then immediately turn left onto a dirt road that passes over country roads and shortly after brings you to the asphalt road that leads to the entrance to the Saline.
After the long path leading to the entrance to the Saline, you should stop to carefully examine the noticeboard before the small bridge. After carefully reading the regulations permitting access to the active construction site of the Saline itself, you pass through the designated gate and stop for the required registration. Once these requirements are met, you can continue along this stretch within the Saline area and admire the evocative views offered by the hyaline basins of the salt concentration system.
Along this route, it is strictly forbidden to leave the marked path, as the salt pans are effectively a construction site, and the movement of construction vehicles must not be hindered by the presence of cyclists and pilgrims.
Once you've left the Saline area, you'll find yourself at the Navy lighthouse. As mentioned, the stage rejoins the alternative route, continuing first along the port quay and then on the ramp that takes you onto 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, the bridge built in Roman times that served as a connection between the two islands stands out.
Once in Sant'Antioco, the stage continues through the streets of the town following the urban development of the SS 126 axis, then along Via Nazionale and after Via Roma arriving in Piazza Umberto.
From here, the stage follows the development of Via Azuni, on the left of the square until reaching the Basilica of Sant'Antioco Martire (which can be visited after checking the opening hours) with its early Christian catacombs. Here, after also visiting the Byssus Museum located near the basilica, the stage ends.
The Catacombs of the Sant'Antioco necropolis are one of 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 tomb of the Saint.
The catacomb is accessed from the church and consists of a first room with an apse whose vault is supported by six columns. In the centre is a sarcophagus where the martyr's remains were supposedly kept.
Near the Basilica, you can admire the Museum of Byssus Marino, a unique material also known as sea silk. It is a textile fiber of animal origin, a type of natural marine silk obtained from the filaments secreted by a species of marine bivalve mollusc (Pinna nobilis) endemic to the Mediterranean and commonly known as the pen shell.
The processing of this material is an ancient technique currently carried on by master Chiara Vigo, the only woman in the world still able to work and weave according to the thousand-year-old tradition imported to Sardinia by the Phoenicians.
Before leaving Sant'Antioco, we recommend visiting the numerous archaeological sites in this charming seaside town, particularly the Punic Necropolis of Sulchi, the Tophet (a sacred area where urns containing the cremated remains of stillborn or premature infants were placed), the Ferruccio Barrecca Archaeological Museum, and the Phoenician Arena.
The Punic Necropolis of Sulky, unique in its kind, extends for approximately 10 hectares and features around thousands of tombs dug into the rock bed.
Burials were reserved for family groups, in accordance with precise ritual codes. The burials consist of a narrow corridor, called a "dromos," consisting of a staircase, a landing, and a simple, rectangular door leading to the burial chamber, often with a partition. The body was placed inside a wooden sarcophagus and accompanied by precious grave goods. Significant discoveries have been made in this necropolis, bringing to light unique sculptures.
The Phoenician-Punic Tophet of Sant'Antioco is an open-air sanctuary intended to house the ashes of stillborn children or those who died at a very young age. Dating to the first half of the 8th century BC, it stands on the summit and slope of a trachytic relief characterized by a large carved rock (originally associated with infant sacrifice rituals), the exact purpose of which has not yet been established. Consisting of a series of enclosures made of stone and mud mortar, it resembles a veritable field of urns that were placed in the natural cracks in the rock. The urns identified, over 2,000, date back chronologically to the period between 750 and 525 BC. Among the most ancient urns, most are of Phoenician origin. Three urns, dated between the mid-8th and 7th centuries BC, testify to the fusion of Phoenician and Nuragic elements. Among the more than 1,750 stelae found in the Tophet, several bear engraved or painted dedicatory inscriptions.
The “Ferruccio Barreca Archaeological Museum” preserves and displays many of the finds from the island of Sant'Antioco and the previously mentioned sites.
The collection refers largely to the urban settlement dating back to the 8th century BC and known as Sulky or Sulci.
After visiting these unique and evocative sites, which can also be observed on the next stage, when on the way to Carbonia you must pass through Sant'Antioco again. The route continues along the former coastal railway, now a cycle path. Starting from the northern end of the tourist port, it runs along the entire northeastern part of the island of Sant'Antioco, reaching the Cirdu Salt Marsh, used for fish farming, and the hamlet of Cussorgia (Calasetta), before finally intersecting with the SS 126 near the town of Calasetta.
After travelling about 300 m towards Calasetta on the SS 126, at the crossroads we turn left and enter the Calasetta countryside.
You then take a farm road that initially continues perpendicular to the axis of the main road for the first 500 m and then, turning left, heads south and continues in that direction until you reach the crossroads that you take on the right near B.co Scarperino.
In this way, take the road that leads to the locality called Nido dei Passeri and once you reach this spectacular cliff, right near the car park, turn right towards the north-west, to first reach the area of the Mangia Barche rock and then arrive at Spiaggia Grande near the Vecchia Tonnara di Calasetta.
Turn right and after passing the beach car parks, take Via Tonnara and after about 500 m, turn left and take the road that goes towards Le Saline.
After passing the Calasetta salt pan, which is no longer in production, continue north-east and along Via Salina you first reach Sottotorre beach and then take Via Sotto Torre to enter the town.
Once you have climbed the promontory overlooking the beach and taken Via Savoia, at the fifth intersection turn left and you will arrive at the Pietro Belly square in front of the Calasetta Town Hall, where this stage ends.
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