Trekking in the mountain of the village of Bolotana (NU) in the center of Sardinia allows to immerse yourself in unusual landscapes for Sardinia, in a medium-mountain climate and environment to reach one of the peaks of the island, Punta Palai, with its 1,200 meters.
It touches a series of places of natural and historical impact, such as the archaeological area of Ortachis, sacred since the Neolithic period (3,000 BC), the area of Punta Palai linked to the history of the Welsh family of Piercy, the beautiful Mularza Noa waterfall, the park of Pabude marked by some secular yews.
Easy level hiking and above all in the summer, it benefits from the refreshment given by the altitude to be pleasant in all seasons.
At the end of the itinerary, if possible, you can take a guided tour of Villa Piercy led by local guides, then stroll in the botanical garden commissioned by the Welsh family and visit a small wood with one of the oldest yew trees in Italy, one thousand of years old.
9 km route – Height difference: 200 m uphill – Time required 3.00 hours
- Distance of km. 9
- Differences in level: uphill 200 m.
- Journey time 3 hours + visit to Villa Piercy (2 hours)
Itinerary
Departure of the trek in the locality of Ortachis, archaeological site of the megalithic period on the mountain of Bolotana (NU),
(about 1.000 meters above sea level) in the heart of Marghine, center of Sardinia. After visiting the megalithic circles of Ortachis, we start an easy trek towards the top of the Marghine massif, Punta Palai at 1200 metres. We will walk on an easy uphill path in the midst of holm oaks, maples, many specimens of trees typical of the mid-mountain environment. Arrived in front of a small natural pond, we turn around and head along the easy uphill path that will lead to the summit.
Arrived at Punta Palai you can enjoy an extraordinary view over the whole plain of Ottana from which you can also see the town of Bolotana. Here we find the grave of Gerarld Piercy, a member of the famous welsh family.
From here we always descend through the woods towards the beautiful park of Pabude, where there are some specimens of secular yew trees. We proceed towards the Mularza Noa waterfall, a beautiful rocky leap that is particularly generous with water in the winter months.
After visiting the waterfall, proceed through the clearing in front of it and a short path in the woods to return to the starting point.
If possible, we will visit Villa Percy, (2 km from Ortachis) the nineteenth-century residence of the entrepreneur Benjamin Percy who left a
sign in the Sardinian economy, the main architect of the construction of the railways. Here it will also be interesting to visit the park of the villa, a sort of botanical garden, characterized by exotic and monumental species imported by the Piercys.
Another place of great botanical value is the so-called Agorà dei Tassi, a few meters from Villa Piercy, a small wood of secular yew trees among which one of the oldest yew trees in Italy stands out, a yew thousands of years old called "Babbu Mannu" of the diameter of 7.5 meters.
