Seneghe is a village of about 2,000 inhabitants situated on the eastern side of Montiferru (north of Oristano), at 305 metres above sea level. It is noted for the oakwoods which cloak mountains in a green mantle and for the water of its springs which are appreciated for their diuretic properties in addition to its olive oil. It won the Ercole Olive 1994 prize, for its quality and local honey has also won various national prizes.

But there is another reason why it should be famous: the richness of archaeological sites which are distributed within its territory. The area of Seneghe has been inhabited since the neolithic era, as demonstrated by numerous stone tools found in the area.

During the nuraghic period, thanks to the pleasantness of the area, there was a blossoming of nuraghi from simple to complex designs, totalling around 150 to which can be added cumuli, giants' tombes, dolmen and menhirs all from the same period. The area was liked also by the Phoenecians and the Romans and one of the many remains of this period is Funtana Fraigada, a warm spring dating from the Roman occupation.

These testimonies to the past have been more or less ignored by various political administrations who didn't know how to take care of anything except the interests of the agricultural economy. Worse still, they lacked the will or ability to prevent real destruction carried out (in the name of land improvement and with regional contributions) with agricultural machines which were allowed to work in proximity to the nuraghi, thus eliminating the possibility of doing any further archaeological exploration.

This applies also, with very few exceptions, for the other towns and villages of Montiferru You only need to look at the limestone rocks of Santa Caterina di Pittinuri (the seaside resort near Cuglieri) where there are many-roomed rock tombes from the roman period; Cornus, the paleo-christian necropolis excavated between 1955 and 1964 by the archaeologists Demuro, Pes and Ovidio Addis which, apart from some sporadic intervention, has been left at the mercy of vandals and tomb-robbers.

It is imperative that something be done as it is of vital importance for the economy of Sardinia, suffering from failed industry and agricultural recession, to focus on development of green tourism. How much interest there is on the part of foreign and Italian tour operators towards Sardinia was made evident in the second edition of the Borsa del Turismo Ambientale (Green Tourism Exchange) which was held in Orosei on the 12 to 15 of May. The BTA, organized by Esit in collaboration with the Nuoro Camera di Commercio (Chamber of Commerce), allowed Sardinian tour operators to present many proposals to the market, many of which aim to make our archaeological heritage better known and this is a very important step towards its safeguard. A good way to protect archaeological sites is to allow a large number of people who are capable of appreciating them to visit.

We present accordingly some itineraries for trips on foot or on mountain-bike, while those who wish to see nuraghi from on high can do so by paragliding, the most economic flying method as yet known.

The itineraries are by Raimondo Cossa, of GAE (Associazione Italiana Guide Ambientale) already collaborator on Trekking and Tutto Mountain Bike magazines and a guide from the Sinis cooperative; and Francesco Cubeddu, paragliding expert and collaborator of In Sardegna and Delta & Parapendio. As the territory is not yet well-known and the itineraries are not signposted, we recommend you use an expert guide from the area. (Raimondo Cossa tel. 0783-54001 e Franceso Cubeddu tel. 0783-70467). The best periods for excursions are spring and autumn.

Useful Information:
We recommend the 1:25,000 IGM map of the area. Private accommodation is available, it is possible to buy typical local products such as cheese, wine, sweet cakes and see festivals. Don't miss the Seneghese carnival from 20 January to Shrove Tuesday, with Sardinian dances accompanied on the accordion or Sardinian choral groups (su ballu e cantidu).

From 2 - 3 July is the festival of Santa Maria and Santa Elisabetta. From the 31 August is the festival of San Raimondo.

Useful Telephone Numbers:
Comando Stazione Forestale (Forest Rangers)         tel: 0783-54418
Azienda olivicola fr. lli Cosseddu (Olive business) tel: 0783-54247
Oleifico Sociale Coop (Olive cooperative)           tel: 0783-54665
Apicoltura Montiferru (Bee farming)                 tel: 0783-54073

Coming from the beaches of the west coast, follow the SS 292 until the first exit for Narbolia and then follow signposts to Seneghe.

Three Possible Routes

1. Itinerary mountain bike or trekking (colour red).
   Leaving the village in the direction of Narbolia, take the track in front of the drinking trough of Montighe Pardighe. Difficulty: medium
   Time: 4 hours by bike, 6 on foot.
   Interest: landscape and relevent cultural interests including opportunity to admire archaeological sites from neolithic to nuraghic period such as Giants' Tombes (Sa Facchedes'altare) the Gallery tomb (S'Ommodesaszanas), the well-conserved nuraghe Littos, the complex of Masone Maiore composed of 5 towers and finally nuraghe Oppianu.

2. Itinerary trekking (colour green).
   Leaving from Birdambullis, mountain of Seneghe, 10 km from the village. Difficulty: medium Time: 5 hours Distance: about 12 km Interest: landscape and nature with a chance on clear days to admire the great piece of Sardinian coastline from Capo Caccia (Alghero) to Costa Verde. The route is mainly on a track and small paths which sometimes become tunnels through through centuries-old oak woods known as patriarchi (patriachs) which throw shade onto springs where you can stop and drink. The woods contain strawberry tree, hawthorn and cork oaks and are replaced by macchia as they descend toward the sea. The perfumed macchia contains myrtle, lentisk, rock-rose, lavender and is the natural habitat of boars, foxes, weasels, martens and the rare feral cat as well as a variety of birds, including peregrine falcons, buzzards, sparrowhawks and others. For a perfect finish to the tour we can try to spot some sardinian fallow deer behind the fence of the acclimatization area between the Padassiu and Birdambulis

3. Itinerary (blue colour) Reserved for "flying bipeds", better known as paragliders.
   Take off from Fontana Figu in Santulussurgiu area and fly south south-east until you arrive in the skies above Seneghe and fly over nuraghe Scalla. Carry on west behind the village, trying to maintain altitude, to fly over nuraghe Pista, nuraghe Narva, and Littos. Continue towards the plain and admire the giants' tomb from above and the Masone Maiore complex, then land, having witnessed a spectacle reserved for the few. This is a flight which can be done by anyone with some experience in thermo-dynamic flight.