Planargia and Montiferru · Provincia di Nuoro

Things to do in Sindia

Things to do in Sindia, Sardinia: Cistercian church of San Pietro, Santa Maria di Corte abbey, nuraghi, the Trenino Verde, festivals and tips.

Sindia, Sardegna — © Gianni Careddu · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0

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Sindia is the westernmost municipality in the province of Nuoro: around 1,600 people on the Campeda plateau, about 12 km from Macomer and 17 from Bosa, at an ancient crossroads between Planargia, Marghine and Montiferru. The village grew up around Cistercian monks in the 12th century and keeps two medieval gems built in dark volcanic stone. Among pastures and cork-oak woods, it's a peaceful destination if you love Romanesque churches, nuraghi and wide-open plateau landscapes.

What to see in Sindia

Church of San Pietro

Built around the mid-12th century by Cistercian monks and the workers of their grange, the abbey's farm estate. It has a single nave with a pointed barrel vault, all in dark volcanic rock: a rare example of Cistercian architecture in Sardinia.

Abbey of Santa Maria di Corte

Just outside the village, near natural springs, stand the ruins of the Cistercian abbey of Nostra Signora di Corte, also called Cabu Abbas: the apse, part of the transept with two chapels and the sacristy. It was the first Cistercian foundation on the island.

Nuraghi and giants' tombs

The area has around 40 nuraghi. Don't miss the Furrighesu giants' tomb, with its corridor and chamber almost intact, the Santa Barbara nuraghe among pastures and cork oaks, and the Gianbasile nuraghe, which stands in the garden of a 19th-century mansion in the village.

Roman bridges

The ruins of two Roman bridges survive, over the Carrabusu and Oinu streams, along with stretches of ancient minor roads.

Things to do in Sindia

The Campeda plateau is perfect for hiking, cycling or horse riding among cork woods, dry-stone walls and nuraghi. Near the village, the wooded area of Sant'Antonio is home to holly, holm oak, downy oak and cork oak. In summer you can take the Trenino Verde, the scenic train on the Macomer–Bosa line, which crosses the village on its way down to the sea. Pair a morning at San Pietro and Corte with an afternoon in Bosa. Below you'll find experiences offered by local operators: choose yours.

History

Settled since the Nuragic age and crossed by Roman roads, the area took shape around the Cistercian grange in about 1150, when scattered hamlets gathered near San Pietro. The name first appears in the condaghe (monastic register) of San Nicola di Trullas. Sindia belonged to the Giudicato (medieval Sardinian kingdom) of Torres, then to the Malaspina family and, from the 15th century, to various feudal lords. It was freed in 1839 and has been in the province of Nuoro since 1927.

Food and what to buy

The local economy is based on livestock farming: try sheep's cheeses and meats from the pastoral tradition of Marghine and Planargia. Bosa, a few kilometres away, is the place for Malvasia wine.

Festivals and traditions

San Giorgio, with Saints Raffaele and Isidoro: three weeks after Easter, with a three-day horse race in pairs.
Nostra Signora di Corte: early September, with a novena, vigil and dinner in the churchyard.
San Demetrio: mid-October.

Nearby

Bosa, with its Malaspina castle and the sea, about 20 minutes away.
Macomer, with the Santa Barbara nuraghe and the Le Arti Antiche museum.
Suni, with the Nuraddeo archaeological park.
Bortigali, with the Orolo nuraghe.

Getting there and when to go

From the SS131 highway take the Macomer exit and follow the SS129 bis towards Bosa. Alghero-Fertilia airport is about an hour away, Cagliari-Elmas about two hours. Spring and early summer are best for the green plateau; September for the Corte feast.