Among the hills and rocks of Sardinia, now recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, are hidden ancient necropolises, silent witnesses to the rituals of a day when no one had heard of Rome.
For the locals, these places are more than just rocks. They are enchanted caves, domus de Janas, or “fairy houses” as the Sardinians affectionately call them.
Before the pyramids and before Rome
Wild and windswept Sardinia is carved out by thousands of stone towers – nurags, Bronze Age giants that still guard the olive groves.
But long before the nuraghes, other craftsmen lived here – the Osieri people. Between 3200 and 2800 BC, they carved real underground cities in the rocks – more than 3500 stone tombs that resemble human dwellings.
They believed that death was not the end, but only a new passage. The ceilings of the tombs were coloured with red ochre and the walls have the status of a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
These are not only archaeological sites – they are a living part of Sardinian culture, where history, myth and everyday life intertwine in the same breath.
The road underground
My introduction to this world began in the north of the island, near the necropolis of Su Crucifissu Mannu near Porto – Torres.
Guide Maurizio Melisa showed me a limestone plateau cut through narrow passageways leading to 22 tombs from the 4th to 3rd millennia BC
“For the civilisation of the Acellieri,” he says, “going down into a tomb was a journey into the depths of the earth itself – where life is transformed into new life.
Photo by Andrea Cocco
During the excavations, archaeologists found here figures of a mother goddess, pottery and even a human skull with signs of trembling, made more than 500 years ago.
& “Science explains a lot,” smiles Melis, “but for us, these places will forever remain” fairytale houses “.
Photo by Andrea Cocco
Where modernity stands above eternity
In the village of Sennori, modern houses are built just above Neolithic burials. Among the figs and pomegranates are hidden entrances carved five thousand years ago.
” Here is the heart of the tomb,” cultural councillor Elena Kornalis shows me. – A symbol of strength and life.”
The image of a bull carved in stone can be seen in the beam of a lantern.
“Now that UNESCO has officially recognised our” fairy tale houses “, people once again feel connected to those who lived here millennia ago.”
Photo by Andrea Cocco
Next, my path leads to the plateau of Monte Mamas, where the necropolis of Mezue-Montes is located at an altitude of over 400 metres.
Photo by Andrea Cocco
Among the olives and rocks rest 18 tombs – exact copies of the houses of the living: with false doors, cornices and columns.
On the walls are ochres, ornaments and bull horns: symbols of fertility and strength. The bull, earthly and celestial, was considered the guide of souls to the afterlife.
Photo by Andrea Cocco
An ancient Sardinian legend says that it was here that the fairies of Janas invited a woman, revealed to her the secret of fermentation and gave her a frame – a leaven from which people learnt to bake bread and share it with each other.
This knowledge forever linked the world of the living and the spirit world.
Author of the photo, Andrea Cocco
Games in the middle of eternity
I travelled the narrow roads inland and crossed the dense Anela forest to reach the necropolis of Sos Furrigessos – translated as. – The community mourned the dead and waited for a new birth to restore balance. “
Photo by Andrea Cocco
Next, to the south is the Barbadja region. There are two dark crevices in the rock that look like the eyes of an ancient giant. This is the necropolis of Broda, with an ancient nurag towering over it.
Photo by Andrea Cocco
In the south, near Prana Mutted, I met the curator of antiquities Graziano Arba.
“I’ve known these tombs since childhood,” he smiles. – We used to hide here from the rain, play. Now I protect them.”
Between the tombs stand three menhirs – stone guardians protecting the world of millennia.
Photo by Andrea Cocco
Here, among the oaks and the wind, myth, history and everyday life are woven into one.
In Sardinia, even the stones have memories – of people, of fairies and of the eternal belief that death is only the beginning. 48