Romanesque churches itinerary

Between the 11th and 13th centuries Sardinia was divided into four small kingdoms, the giudicati of Torres, Gallura, Arborea and Cagliari. Their rulers, the giudici, invited Benedictine, Camaldolese, Vallombrosan and Cistercian monks to the island, and with them came craftsmen from Pisa, Genoa and Lombardy. The result was hundreds of Romanesque churches, many of which have survived almost intact, often standing alone in the fields where villages once stood.

This six-day itinerary runs from Olbia to Cagliari through the Logudoro, the heartland of Sardinian Romanesque, and then Arborea and the Campidano. You visit the great two-tone basilicas, monks' abbeys, the cathedrals of ancient dioceses and small country churches, with stops in villages and a few detours to the nuraghi. See also our page on Sardinian culture.

1. Olbia: San Simplicio
2. Sant'Antioco di Bisarcio: the cathedral in the fields
3. Ardara: Santa Maria del Regno
4. Saccargia: Santissima Trinità
5. Porto Torres: the basilica of San Gavino
6. Tergu: Nostra Signora di Tergu
7. San Pietro di Sorres: the hilltop abbey
8. Ghilarza: San Pietro di Zuri
9. Bonarcado: Santa Maria and the sanctuary
10. Santa Giusta: the cathedral on the lagoon
11. Cagliari: the Pisan pulpit

Sardinian Romanesque in brief

Sardinian Romanesque is an art of encounters: the façades striped with black basalt and white limestone recall the churches of Pisa and Tuscany, the small blind arches and pilaster strips come from Lombardy, and some portals and decorations from southern France. But the stone is Sardinian, and the churches often have compact proportions and a simplicity that makes them unique. Many stood beside monasteries or villages abandoned at the end of the Middle Ages, which is why they now look so isolated in the landscape. See also our page on Sardinian history.

1. 11th centuryThe four Sardinian giudicati emerge
2. 1063The giudice of Torres gives churches to the Benedictines of Montecassino
3. 1116Santissima Trinità di Saccargia is consecrated
4. 12th centuryThe cathedral of Santa Giusta is built
5. 1312Guglielmo's pulpit arrives in Cagliari from Pisa
6. 1420The giudicato of Arborea, the last of the four, comes to an end
7. 1925San Pietro di Zuri is moved to make way for Lake Omodeo

Day 1: Olbia, Castro and Bisarcio

Start in Olbia with the granite basilica of San Simplicio, one of the oldest Romanesque churches in Gallura. Then head inland: at Oschiri the church of Nostra Signora di Castro stands on a rise near Lake Coghinas, next to the remains of a Roman town. In the afternoon, near Ozieri, visit Sant'Antioco di Bisarcio, a former cathedral alone on a hill, with an unusual two-storey porch on its façade.

Where to stay: in Sassari or at an agriturismo in the Logudoro, for three nights.

Day 2: Ardara, Saccargia and Salvenero

In Ardara, the old capital of the giudicato of Torres, visit Santa Maria del Regno, built of dark stone, with a large painted altarpiece from the early 16th century. Then reach Santissima Trinità di Saccargia, near Codrongianos, the most famous image of Sardinian Romanesque: its black-and-white striped façade and bell tower stand out in the valley, and 13th-century frescoes survive in the apse. Nearby, at Ploaghe, the church of San Michele di Salvenero rounds off the day.

Day 3: Porto Torres, Tergu and the Anglona

In Porto Torres the basilica of San Gavino is the largest Romanesque building in Sardinia, with two facing apses and a crypt holding the relics of the town's martyrs. Next door are the remains of Turris Libisonis: see the Punic and Roman itinerary. In the afternoon head up into the Anglona: at Tergu the church of Nostra Signora di Tergu, in red trachyte and limestone, was part of a Benedictine monastery; at Bulzi visit San Pietro di Simbranos. At sunset, take a stroll in Castelsardo.

Day 4: San Pietro di Sorres and the Meilogu

At Borutta, on a hill overlooking the Meilogu, stands San Pietro di Sorres, a former cathedral now home to a community of Benedictine monks, with a façade of two-tone stripes and diamonds. Nearby, at Torralba, visit the Santu Antine nuraghe, one of the most imposing on the island: see the Nuragic civilisation itinerary. In the afternoon drive down towards Arborea to Ghilarza, where the church of San Pietro di Zuri was taken apart stone by stone and rebuilt in the 1920s to save it from the waters of Lake Omodeo.

Where to stay: in or near Oristano, for one night.

Day 5: Bonarcado, Santa Giusta and Uta

In Bonarcado, at the foot of the Montiferru, visit the church of Santa Maria, linked to an old Camaldolese monastery, and the small sanctuary of Nostra Signora di Bonacattu, built on a Greek-cross plan. Then go down to Santa Giusta, where the 12th-century cathedral is reflected in the lagoon, with columns reused from nearby Roman towns. In the afternoon continue into the Campidano to Uta and the church of Santa Maria, decorated with carved animals and figures under the roof. See Oristano and the Sinis.

Where to stay: in Cagliari.

Day 6: Cagliari and Dolianova

In the cathedral of Cagliari, in the Castello quarter, you can see the two pulpits made from Guglielmo's pulpit, carved for Pisa cathedral in the 12th century and given to Cagliari in 1312. In the afternoon, about half an hour away in Dolianova, visit the cathedral of San Pantaleo, which blends Romanesque with Gothic elements, before you leave.

How much it costs

Accommodation315 €

Meals210 €

Car and fuel170 €

Admissions25 €

Saccargia20 min

Porto Torres25 min

Ardara35 min

Tergu35 min

Sorres40 min

Bisarcio50 min

To save money: many churches are free or ask only for a donation, and Logudoro agriturismi serve generous fixed-price dinners. See where to stay and car hire.

Practical information

• Opening times: country churches are often closed and open only with a keeper or at certain hours; Saccargia, San Gavino and Sorres have more regular hours. Call the town hall or parish before you go.
• Dress: these are places of worship, and Sorres is home to a monastic community: cover your shoulders and keep quiet.
• Light: the two-tone façades look best in the low light of early morning and late afternoon.
• Feast days: many country churches come alive only on their saint's day, with mass, a procession and a shared lunch; that is the best time to see them in use. See festivals in Sardinia.

Variations

• The Sulcis: the cathedral of Santa Maria di Monserrato at Tratalias, seat of the Sulcis bishops, in the abandoned old village.
• The Marghine and the Goceano: San Nicola at Ottana and San Palmerio at Ghilarza, plus the Goceano castle at Burgos.
• Gallura: the granite churches of Luras and Calangianus, to pair with the wine and food itinerary for Vermentino.

What to read before you go

A book on Romanesque architecture in Sardinia, a history of the Sardinian giudicati and a guide to the island's Romanesque churches. See also the castles itinerary, which tells the story of the same Middle Ages through its fortresses.

Final tips

• Pace: three or four churches a day is plenty; stop in a village for lunch between them.
• Combinations: from the Meilogu you can link up with the Nuragic civilisation itinerary, from Porto Torres with the Punic and Roman itinerary, from Arborea with the castles itinerary.
• A tip: at Saccargia, stop and look at the church from the meadow in front when the afternoon sun lights up the white stripes: the valley around it has changed little in eight hundred years.