A stage of medium length and good gradients, running mostly on the ridge and offering beautiful scenery on the last heel of the Ogliastra, perhaps the most scenic and certainly the highest: ladies and gentlemen, we arrive at the sight of the monolith of Perda 'e Liana (1,293 m)!
This stage is a variant of the Sentiero Italia (which goes from Montarbu Barracks to Perda 'e Liana), preferred to visit Lanusei and the sights of Bosco Selene.
A stage to avoid in the middle summer months.
The descent from Monte Armidda consists of several unpaved sections where it is necessary to go by intuition and monitor the GPS track.
There are no water points, take a good supply with you. There is also no well on arrival: the nearest one is about 3 km from arrival if you follow the paved road to the left (towards Perda 'e Liana) until you reach the junction with another road.
We leave Bosco Selene on a paved road, then cross the main road and take the dirt road that climbs slowly (about 300 m height difference) in wide hairpin bends into the forest; after a final steep climb, we reach the summit of Monte Armidda (1,270 m), where we find a small astronomical observatory. We continue walking up and down the ridge, along a good path that sometimes blurs into the terrain (the direction is intuitive, however, and there are several cairns), until we pass another building - it's a weather station, from which we have a beautiful view of the sea and, closer, of the Lago Alto del Flumendosa.
Immediately afterwards we start the long descent (about 400 m height difference) on a path that is not always easy to find and sometimes a bit steep. Towards the end we find the gravel road again and descend to the valley floor where, after passing the tracks of the Trenino Verde (Gairo Taquisara - Arbatax), we meet the asphalt road; after a few hundred metres we take a good forest path to the left and begin the second climb of the day (about 400 m height difference), mostly in the shade of the forest.
We thus easily reach Punta Erdorrù (1,236 m), where there is a nice forest bivouac (equipped with a fireplace and nothing else, excellent for a rest in the shade): in front of us rises the reddish monolith of Perda 'e Liana, a wonder of nature. We take a well-marked path, descend (about 100 m drop) to a pass, then climb again (about 100 m height difference) and follow the easy ridge that leads us to the summit of Cuccuru 'e Mufloni (1,232 m), where we find another observation hut.
From there, still on the path, we descend briefly to the Perda Liana picnic area near a car park: After resting a little, we enjoy the sunset at the foot of the rock of Perda 'e Liana (1,293 m), coloured red by the sun.
In order to connect the interior of Sardinia with the coast, the Trenino Verde was built towards the end of the 19th century. This was a 438 km long narrow-gauge railway - the longest in Europe - which is now being revived as a tourist service.
It was called “Trenino Verde” because of the colour of the wagons and was closed down in 1981. It was only revived as a tourist service in 1995 with its historic vehicles: diesel railcars, but also steam trains (not available in summer).
A real jewel that someone has called the most beautiful railway in the world: a journey through time that allows you to discover the landscapes of Sardinia in a different way.
Perda 'e Liana is a natural monument of extraordinary beauty, the most important and imposing of the Tacchi dell’Ogliastra. The tower, dating back to the Jurassic period, juts out of the promontory with a vertical wall fifty metres high and a hundred metres wide, reaching a height of 1,293 metres: a scenario that catapults you into a Tex-Willer atmosphere from the American Far West.
Perda 'e Liana, like the other heels of the Ogliastra, was formed by the erosion of water and other atmospheric agents. The meaning of the name is still shrouded in mystery. What is certain is that “perda” means stone/rock in Sardinian, but there are different versions of the term liana: some attribute it to the polished rock, others to the Nuraghic people of the Iliensi, and still others to the strawberry tree that grows on the slopes of the mountain and is called olione.
Declared a natural monument in 1993, this stone finger stretching up to the sky is a natural emblem for the whole area and was a gathering point, a totem, for the nuraghi.
The vegetation of the paths is dotted with plants with resinous leaves that resemble rosemary. This is the cistus, a shrub that intoxicates the Sardinian landscape with its resinous smell.
In the past it was often used to light fires and the branches were used to make brooms to clean the oven, leaving the aroma inside. The beneficial properties of cistus are numerous: it has anti-inflammatory and antibacterial effects and is also excellent against cramps and stomach disorders. Characteristic of Sardinia is the marine cistus, also known as Sardinian cistus.
In the area is the lake Bau Muggeris in the gorge of the same name, which was created after the construction of an artificial barrage with a dam in 1948-1949 in the lower Flumendosa for the construction of a hydroelectric power station and water distribution.
An impressive water body where sport fishing is practised, but also aquaculture for rainbow trout.
At the end of a lunch or dinner in Sardinia, filu 'e ferru is a must, an aquavit made from the marc of Sardinian grapes (especially Vernaccia).
It is a strong alcoholic spirit that can overwhelm even the most timid of guests, so much so that it is also called abbardente or “water that catches fire”. The name filu 'e ferru, on the other hand, is related to the clandestine production of this distillate: in the past, the bottles and the still used to make the distillate were hidden underground to avoid being discovered by the gendarmerie; to find them, the peasants tied an iron wire to the stopper that stuck out of the ground.
There are no overnight accommodation facilities at Perda Liana: the only option is to sleep in a tent in the established area near the car park.
The starting point is accessible by car.
The starting point can be reached by bus, starting from the city of Nuoro.
Here is the LINK to check the timetable.
The starting point is NOT accessible by train.
Va' Sentiero is a grassroot project, thanks to the spontaneous contribution oft housands of people.
Even the most complicated dream, a 7,000km uphill dream,
can be achieved... together.
Grazie!
