Domus Stochino

Lotzorai, a friendly Ogliastra village, is located between two rivers, (Pramaera and Girasole), 1000 metres from the seashore, a position that accounts for the pleasant unceasing breeze tempering its summertime heat. The village is at the centre of a huge amphitheatre formed by Monte Oro that overlooks it from Baunei, and the distant Gennargentu tops standing out against a terse cerulean sky. The mountain semicircle protects this Ogliastra valley from the chilly winters fostering its spring-like climate. For Lotzorai the Roman saying does apply: “Hic Ver Assiduum� (here spring is eternal !). Coming from Cagliari, Lotzorai is announced by the Castello della Medusa, the building that dominates the village like a sturdy medieval knight on guard. A rare view can be enjoyed from the castle: the sea below and the tiny isle of Ogliastra, a few hundred feet away from the coast, are so close, one could almost touch them. Today in the village and in its hamlet Tancau, there are several hotels and restaurants, five camp sites and an area reserved for campers, a large open-air discotheque and many other places where one can spend a pleasant evening. In the hinterland, just a few kilometres from the village, are interesting complexes of domus de janas and other archaeological remains. Su Padentino (4 km from Lotzorai, on the road to Talana) is a lush forest of century old ilexes, cork-oaks and carobs, with areas for safe barbecues, and a picnic area with stone tables and benches.

The modern Tourist Port of Baunei and Saint Maria Navarrese has been inaugurated in 1998, a sure and pleasant shelter in the oriental Coast of Sardinia that can entertain up to 340 boats with a maximum length up to 30 meters. The personnel is competent and cordial and the variety of the offered services are able to satisfy the different demands of the diportistis. From June 2005 the port has been endowed with the \"Pequod\", the lifter to otherwise allow the access on board of the skilled people, becoming so the \"first accessible port\" of Sardinia. In 2006 for the second consecutive time the Tourist Port has gotten the prestigious recognition Blue Flag of the tourist landings, that is assigned for quality of the landing, services and safety measures, environmental education and information. The Tourist Port every year increases his presences thanks to the quality of the services that offers and to the magic scenery where the is drawn the port that from the sense of the nature thanks to the green that surrounds it. Forty kilometres of coast in the wildest part of Sardinia, sheer cliffs dotted with coves and beaches that are the real jewels of the Mediterranean. One of the last natural paradises, where faunistic species such as, the Corsican seagull, the peregrine falcon, and the crested cormorant nest and live in harmony with the environment, a land that is jealously guarded by the custodians of the territory, the local shepherds whose flocks of goats graze free amid the mountains. We will take you on an unforgettable trip to see: the cave of the doves, the inlets of Portu Pedrosu, Portu Cuau and the beaches of Cala Goloritzé, Punta Ispuligi de nie (Cala dei gabbiani and Cala Mariolu), to the discovery of undersea siphons inside the “Ficoâ€� cave, where the monk seal was last seen. We will sail to the extreme tip of North Ogliastra to the splendid beaches of Cala Sisine, Cala Luna and the \"Bue Marino Cave\"

Itineraries in Santa Maria Navarrese and Lotzorai. The area is a splendid combination of sea and mountains, with its 40 km of limestone cliffs and ramparts, from Santa Maria Navarrese to Cala Luna, interrupted by little sandy bays, with famous places such as the monolith of Pedra Longa, Capo Montesanto, Portu Quau, Cala Biriola, Cala Goloritzè, Cala Mariolu, Cala Sisine and Cala Luna; the Golgo basalt plateau with Su Sterru, Europe\'s deepest sinkhole; and the Margine karst plateau. . The local fauna includes important species such as the Golden Eagle, Eleonora\'s falcon, Audouin\'s gull, mouflon, and wild boar... There are many cave systems inland from the coast, extending both above and below sea level. There are archaeological remains from all periods: anthropozoic relics from the prenuragic period, nuraghi, nuragic villages, fortresses and tombe dei giganti, settlements and coins from the Imperial and Republican periods, from Roman times, the medieval churches of Santa Maria Navarrese and of Eltili, the Spanish tower, the church at Golgo, Spanish coins and part of the parish church of San Nicola di Baunei of the Sabaudian period. Forty kilometres of the wildest Sardinian coastline, with vertical cliffs cut by deep incisions that interrupt the impressive rock walls with sandy bays and beaches, which are true jewels of the Mediterranean. The Grotta dei Colombi, the inlets of Portu Pedrosu and Portu Quau and the beaches of Cala Goloritzé and Ispuligidenie (Cala Mariolu and the Spiaggia dei Gabbiani) will accompany you in an unforgettable voyage, discovering undersea sumps inside the Grotta del Fico, the last kingdom of the Monk Seal, and taking you back in time to relive an ancient world. And we\'re not finished, there are still the beaches of Cala Sisine and Cala Luna.

From the Steeple of Pedra Longa in Cove Sisine for the old paths of the coalmen - One of the most beautiful \"tall streets\" of the Mediterranean, so it is defined by Mario Verin that with Peppino Cicalò has discovered of it and divulged the layout, and really the beauty of the environments that crosses, the views of the coast that it continually proposes, the perfume of the Mediterranean stain and its complexity, make some Selvaggio Blu something special. \"The beginning of the true destruction of the great forests of Sardinia has been one of the as laws emanated by the Italian government in 1863 with which the cut of 200.000 hectares of wood of tall stem allowed him, particularly lecci and proper roverelle for the construction of the new fitted with iron streets. This way the cut is continued for fifty years almost devouring 600.000 hectares of wood. Kilometers and kilometers of arid calcareous that belong by now to the landscape \"characteristic\" of Sardinia.\"- Itinerary recommended for good excursionists that know the principal manoeuvres in double rope and that they know how to autonomously climb up to the III degree. They effects impressive descents up to 40 ms. and it climbs for brief lines and you actually cross to the IV degree. Attention: and\' warmly dissuaded to cross the itinerary without the aid of a guide (to consider that 90% of whom crosses the itinerary without guide it loses him without being able to integrally complete him).

FEbruary to November

The question is how to get to Sardinia?? Based on how much time you have got, you can either fly in or arrive to Sardinia by ferry. Getting a flight to Sardinia is easy in the summer. With the very modern Costa Smeralda airport, situated in the central part of Olbia, on the North-east coastline of Sardina, it is so stress-free to rent a car, jump on a train or a coach or just simply hire a taxi to bring you to your selected destination. The Sardinia luxury villas on the North-east coast are all not far from Olbia. Easyjet links Olbia to Berlin, Milan Malpensa, London Gatwick, Lyon, Paris Orly, Basel and additionally Geneva and the low cost air carrier company Jet2.com takes you to Olbia in Sardinia from Leeds and Edinburgh each and every Saturday during the summer. Olbia is connected by flight with all countries in Western Europe. Just simply Google Costa Smeralda airport to check out your flight. If you have the time - there is no more desirable way to arrive to Sardina than on a boat across the Mediterranean Sea. The white beautiful beaches and the crystal clear turquoise waters surrounding Sardinia is an encouraging greeting that switches on you holiday mood from the first second. You can reach Sardinia by ferry from main land Italy or from Barcelona in Spain, or even from Bonifacio in Corsica. From mainland Italy you can sail to Olbia in Sardinia from Civitavecchia, Genoa, Livorno, Napoli and Piombino. You can in addition arrive to Sardinia from Palermo and Trapani in Sicily - but these particular ferries sail into Cagliari on the South end of the island. The ferryboat from Barcelona in Spain arrives into Porto Torres on the North-west side of Sardinia. This ferry crossing takes a little more than 12 hours. It departs from Barcelona in the evening hours and arrives in Sardinia between 10 and 11 the next morning.

The following is a list of the Public Transport operators, some of whose services are utilised in the itinerary ideas presented in this site. These represent many, but by no means all, of the main public transport providers in Sardinia. The fact that we suggest the service of one operator over another should not in any way be interpreted as meaning that we think that the selected service is any better or worse than any other. In most cases the decision is based purely on what works best for the itinerary. Some of the following transport operators websites do not contain English versions. Purely for the purposes of providing information which we hope will be of assistance we have included here a few notes detailing how we go about accessing timetable information from the sites without english translations. Throughout this site the following transport Providers are referred to by the names indicated below in bold. ARST (Azienda RegionaleSarda Trasporti)- Operates many bus services all over the Island. ://www.arst.sardegna.it FdS (Ferrovie della Sardegna) - Operates many bus services and certain small gauge train services. (This is the same company that operates the Trenino Verde Tourist Trains from Arbatax to Cagliari in the summer months, but it has also other services which run all year). From Jan 2006, FdS also operates on the routes connecting major cities which were (until its closure at the end of 2005) operated by PANI. As of late 2008, all FdS services have come under the control of ARST. As at early 2009 the FdS website continues to operate and is the only source of information on these services. ://www.ferroviesardegna.it PANI (Organizzazione Pani Sardegna)- Services terminated late 2005. Transport connections now operated by FdS. FS (Trenitalia) - Operates the main train services connecting Cagliari to Sassari with a branch line to Olbia. ://www.trenitalia.com TIRRENIA - Operates Ferry services between Sardinia and mainland Italy. ://www.tirrenia.it MOBY LINES - Operates Ferry services between Sardinia and mainland Italy. ://www.mobylines.it FMS - Operates several bus services in the South West of the Island centered on the city of Iglesias. As of late 2008, all FMS services have come under the control of ARST. As at early 2009 the FMS website continues to operate (although it is now called ARST Sede Iglesias Carbonia) and is the only source of information on these services. ://www.ferroviemeridionalisarde.it DP (Deplanu Redentours) - Operates a service between Alghero, Alghero Airport and Nuoro as well as a service connecting Olbia Airport and Nuoro. TT (Turmo Travel) - Operates a few services including Olbia to Cagliari passing Nuoro and Olbia to Sassari. ://www.turmotravel.it

Sardinia is part of the Mediterranean area and shares its specific hazards. A few basic precautions are generally enough to stay out of trouble, especially during summer and autumn. Sardinia is scarcely populated, in particular the interior; help is not always easily found, and there remain large patches of land where mobile-phone coverage is inexistent (e.g. at the bottom of sheltered valleys). Terrain, despite the lack of high elevations, is generally rugged and steep; this, in combination with heat and lack of water, can quickly lead to disaster. Beware! Summer is hot and the sun quite strong; the usual precautions to avoid heatstroke and sunburns apply. From May to September, water scarcity in the country is a serious problem. Always take a lot of water with you (especially so when hiking), even if you plan a short trip; bringing along fresh watery fruit (such as peaches) is also helpful. While tap water is generally (but not always) safe, it is recommended to buy bottled mineral water; remember that sweating implies loss of water and of mineral salts. Autumn is generally fine, but can become very unpleasant because of the heavy rainstorms and hilly topography, creating possibilities for land- and mud- slides; always check the weather before planning a trip, even with your car. Winter and spring are generally safer, with pleasantly mild weather (especially during the day) and abundance of water; but remember that to higher elevations corresponds an increasingly colder weather and larger precipitation. Much of Sardinia (especially the Western part) is very windy from September to April; all drivers, and in particular those with campers, must exercise caution. Some open-sea beaches are notorious for strong underwater currents (in particular on the West coast); beware that warning signs are not always posted. Ask at your hotel or locals. The Mediterranean sea is no lily pond; every year, there are several people killed by drowning in Sardinia, and regularly victims are imprudent persons dragged from the shore by large waves. Be careful when hiking in old mining districts (Sulcis-Iglesiente, Sarrabus, Nurra); while local authorities have sealed off many dangerous areas, there remain some. Always avoid dark galleries, because they might hide vertical ventilation shafts; do not venture into closed areas (look for the word Pericolo Danger or the usual warning signs). If you want to explore mines, go to the local tourist information agencies; they will direct you to organized tours. There have been tales of individuals (mostly ex-mineworkers) running their own private tours; avoid these, as they are illegal and extremely unsafe, because of risks of cave-ins, water infiltration, etc.

The nuraghic civilization began developping in Sardinia around the XVIII century B.C., during the Bronze Age. It takes the name from the nuragh, the typical tower construction, which characterized our island. Beyond the megalithic constructions and the many finds found in the whole island, of that period there aren\'t traces of writings. We don\'t know how they communicated but certainly they knew how to work very good metals metals, particularly the bronze. Many are the artefacts found in the archaeological sites, mostly of them tresured in the most important museums of Sardinia: the most famous are the small bronzes, little statues representing deities or monstrous beings, the most important personalities of single tribes, warriors, men and women, who offer gifts to divinities to thanks them for having granted their whishes or asking them help in some particular situations; various are also the examples of animals or wherries, these last ones have been used as lanterns. Back around the half of the III millennium B.C., the Sardinian people felt the necessity of building villages in commanding positions, for example on the top of hills, from which they could control the surrounding area. With the passage of time, boundary walls and watch-towers were erected. The following step was that of the nuragh, which, at first, didn\'t have its mostly known shape, that of the tower “a tholos�: It was squater and lower, devoid of central rooms and subdivided in passages, but it was also ampler.

Italian