🌌 Barumini Under the Stars: Adventure Between Villages, Trails, and Celestial Magic
🚗 The Journey Begins
Not every adventure starts with a plane or a high-speed train. Ours began with a car full of friends, laughter, and the excitement of knowing that the destination wasn’t just a place, but an experience. Barumini was the goal, but the real treasure was waiting much higher: in the starry sky of Sardinia’s hinterland.
We chose the internal roads, the kind that force you to slow down, crossing sleepy villages and landscapes that changed color at every curve. First stop: Furtei. Then Las Plassas.
🏰 Las Plassas: Among Ruins and Ancient Paths
We parked the car and ventured on foot along a path that seemed to lead us back in time. On top of the hill stood the ruins of Las Plassas Castle, still dominating the valley like a silent guardian. On one side, our eyes reached the Tacchi of Ogliastra, those limestone cliffs carved by time; on the other, a mosaic of countryside opened up.
We walked along trails that once connected Las Plassas to Barumini, ancient paths almost forgotten today. Curiosity guided our steps, as we breathed in that air suspended between past and present. Of course, we couldn’t walk the entire trail — we would have reached Barumini by dawn 😂 — but even a short stretch was enough to feel like a small adventure.
🛎️ Check-in at Barumini & Detour to Gesturi
Arriving in Barumini, we checked into the B&B: time for a quick shower, to brush off the dust from the trails, and to exchange those smiles that say, “we’re in the right place.” But stopping? Impossible.
We drove toward Gesturi and, after leaving the car, approached the beginning of the Giara plateau on foot. The basaltic plateau appeared like a threshold; the wind carried the scent of warm grass and junipers, and the late afternoon light stretched the shadows, making the landscape look almost suspended. We promised ourselves to come back with a guide, maybe at dawn, when the wild horses of the Giara appear like fleeting notes in the silence.
💧 The Detour Toward the Spanish Fountain
Later, near Genoni and Senis, we went searching for the Spanish Fountain. Once again: car parked, and off we went on foot. The path ran between two worlds: on one side, barren fields glowing golden in the sunset; on the other, vineyards, shining with green and ruby hues.
The atmosphere was beautiful, almost meditative, until we realized we had taken the wrong path. Just as we were laughing at our mistake, a farmer appeared on his tractor, returning from the fields. With the calm of someone who knows every stone in the land, he pointed us in the right direction. But the sun was already falling fast, and venturing further into the dark was not an option. We postponed the fountain for another day.
🍕 A Pause That Felt Like a Reward
Back in Barumini, we freshened up and headed straight for dinner. An unforgettable pizza, the kind where you can’t tell if it’s truly that delicious or if it’s the atmosphere that makes it so special. Probably both. But the truth is, the real highlight of the evening wasn’t on the plate… it was in the sky.
✨ The Magic Begins
Around midnight came the moment we had been waiting for. We left Barumini and drove down a road that seemed straight out of a horror movie: no lights, only pitch-black darkness cut by the car’s headlights. When we found an open clearing, we stopped. Engine off. Silence.
And then… the show.
A clear, infinite sky. The Big Dipper sliding toward the horizon. And there it was, the Milky Way, stretching above us like a river of light, a luminous scar cutting the sky in two. Millions of stars, dense, palpable. With binoculars, the detail was breathtaking, almost moving — but truth be told, you didn’t need them. Just being there was enough. It felt like the universe had decided to open just for us.
☀️ The Return and the Feeling
After such beauty, returning to the B&B felt like a soft landing, lulled by tiredness and the awareness of having lived something unique. The next morning, breakfast and the trip back home. But the feeling was clear: that night will stay with us not just as a memory, but as an experience to relive every time we look up at the sky.
Because yes, Barumini is nuraghi, history, and culture. But sometimes its greatest treasure shines silently above us, among the stars.
