Things to do in Magomadas
Things to do in Magomadas, Sardinia: Malvasia di Bosa wine, the Wine Museum, historic churches, views over Bosa and the Planargia coast.
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Magomadas is a hill village in the Planargia, home to around 600 people, about 8 km from Bosa. From its hilltop it overlooks the Modolo valley on one side and the sea on the other, among vineyards producing one of the island's most prized Malvasia wines. It belongs to the Borghi autentici d'Italia and Città del vino networks: ideal if you love wine, views and quiet villages just minutes from the coast.
What to see in Magomadas
Church of San Giovanni Battista
The early 17th-century parish church, in late Catalan-Gothic style, has a single nave, a pointed triumphal arch in red trachyte and three 18th-century altars. Here, in 1388, representatives of the local villages signed the peace between Eleonora of Arborea and the King of Aragon.
Church of Santa Croce
Dating from the late 14th or early 15th century, it holds a wooden crucifix with jointed arms, used in the Holy Week rite.
Santa Maria del Mare
A church from 1635, about 3 km from the village in the area of the same name, once called de s'Istella.
Wine museum
Housed in a 16th-century building in the old centre, it tells the story of winemaking in the Planargia.
Views and archaeology
The Sa Costa area and the Santu Nigola viewpoint look out over the Modolo valley, Bosa and a long stretch of coast. The territory also has nuraghe Sebes, on the edge of the village, nuraghe Lorio and a Nuragic sacred well.
Things to do in Magomadas
- Malvasia tastings at wineries and the wine shop, along the Malvasia di Bosa Wine Route.
- Walks among the vineyards and up to the viewpoints.
- Planargia beaches and cliffs a few minutes' drive away.
To enjoy the vineyards, sea and villages of the Planargia with people who know them, browse the experiences offered by local operators just below.
History
The area has been inhabited since pre-Nuragic and Nuragic times. According to one tradition, the name comes from Punic and means new city; the first settlement, near the sea, was reportedly moved up the hill for protection from raids. In the Middle Ages it belonged to the Giudicato (medieval Sardinian kingdom) of Torres, then to the Malaspina and from 1308 to Arborea; after 1420 it became an Aragonese fief of the Villamarina family and later of the Planargia marquisate, until it was bought out in 1839.
Food and shopping
The queen here is Malvasia di Bosa DOC, an amber, fragrant wine, dry or sweet, perfect with almond pastries. You will also find Planargia farm produce: cheeses, olive oil and traditional breads.
Festivals and traditions
- Holy Week, with the s'Iscravamentu rite, the deposition from the cross, in Santa Croce church.
- Santa Maria del Mare, celebrated in May and August with a procession and music in the square.
- Malvasia festival, in summer.
Nearby
- Bosa, about 8 km away, with Malaspina castle and the Sa Costa quarter.
- Tresnuraghes and Porto Alabe beach.
- Flussio and its asphodel baskets.
- Modolo, a tiny wine village in the valley.
Getting there and when to go
The nearest airport is Alghero-Fertilia, about an hour's drive via Bosa; Cagliari-Elmas is about two hours away. Spring is perfect for the views, summer for the sea and autumn for the grape harvest and Malvasia.
FAQ
Is Magomadas by the sea?
The village sits on a hill, but the Planargia coast is just a few minutes' drive away.
Where can you taste Malvasia in Magomadas?
At the village wineries and wine shop, and at the Wine Museum to learn its history.
