su nuraxi
 
Even if you only get to see one of Sardinia's nuraghi , make a point of visiting SU NURAXI (daily 9am-1hr before sunset; L8000/¬4.13), the biggest and most famous of them, and a good taste of the primitive grandeur of the island's only indigenous civilization. The snag is access: the site lies a kilometre outside the village of BARÚMINI , 50km north of Cágliari, to which there are only two daily ARST buses, calling here en route to Désulo and Samugheo. The site lies fifteen minutes' walk west of the main crossroads at Barúmini's centre.

Su Nuraxi's dialect name means simply "the nuragh ", and not only is it the largest nuraghic complex on the island, but it's also thought to be the oldest, dating probably from around 1500 BC. Comprising a bulky fortress surrounded by the remains of a village, Su Nuraxi was a palace complex at the very least - possibly even a capital city. The central tower once reached 21m (now shrunk to less than 15m), and its outer defences and inner chambers are connected by passageways and stairs. The whole complex is thought to have been covered with earth by Sards and Carthaginians at the time of the Roman conquest, which may account for its excellent state of preservation: if it weren't for a torrential rainstorm that washed away the slopes in 1949, the site may never have been revealed at all. There's a restaurant and bar nearby, and a handy hotel choice on Barúmini's Via Cavour, Sa Lolla (tel 070.936.8419; L90,000-120,000/¬46.48-61.98). If this is full, the nearest alternatives are either 20km south off the SS131 at SANLURI : the modern Mirage (tel 070.930.7100; L60,000-90,000/¬30.99-46.48), on Via Carlo Felice, or about the same distance northeast at ÍSILI , a stop on the FdS line, where the clean and friendly Cardellino , on Via Dante (tel 0782.802.004; up to L60,000/¬30.99), is the cheapest of the four choices in town.

The skyline south of Barúmini is punctuated by the extraordinary conical hill of Las Plassas , its round peak strewn with the fragments of a twelfth-century castle sticking up like broken teeth - a landmark for miles around. North and west of the town extends the high plain of Giara di Gésturi , the last refuge of Sardinia's wild ponies. You'll need a little luck and a lot of cunning to spot these small, shy creatures, but in any case it's excellent high ground for walking, at an altitude of around 600m. Spring is the best season to visit, when the area is a stopover for migrating birds. Again, though, the problem is access. Dedicated hikers can explore a good part of the plain on foot from the village of Gésturi, a stop on the Cágliari-Désulo and Cágliari-Samugheo bus routes.