Dorgali Coast and Cala Gonone
Overview of the Dorgali Coast
Dorgali is considered a major center for summer tourism and craftsmanship in Barbagia,
distinguished by its natural landscapes and its seaside hamlet, Cala Gonone. Its coastline lies
within the Gulf of Orosei, recognized for high environmental standards and bathing water quality.
Ispinigoli and San Giovanni Caves:
• Voragine di Ispinigoli: A carstic chasm housing a 38-meter-tall limestone column (stalactite
stalagmite), considered one of the tallest in Europe. A narrow 60-meter-deep vertical fissure
inside the cave (Abisso delle Vergini) connects underground to the San Giovanni su Anzu
cave system over a distance of 12 kilometers. Punic glass beads and human bone fragments
discovered inside originated local legends of ancient sacrificial rites.
• San Giovanni su Anzu Cave & Springs: A water-filled cave connected to Ispinigoli that
feeds local thermal springs. It stands near the 16th-century rural Church of San Giovanni
Battista (de su Anzu).
Coves & Cultural Parks:
• Cala Osalla: A small cove with golden sand and shallow green waters at the mouth of the
Osalla River, bounded to the north by a rocky ridge leading to Orosei. Nearby lie the basalt
ruins of the single-tower Nuraghe Colunie (Nuraghe di Osalla).
• Cala Cartoe: A fine golden sand beach set between dark basalt rocks and white limestone
cliffs, backed by a small freshwater lagoon.
• S’Abba Frisca Park Museum: An ethnographic and naturalistic park located in the Littu
valley. It features reconstructions of traditional inland pastoral shelters (su cuìle), water-driven
exhibits, and demonstrations of historic crafts like pane carasau baking and weaving.
Cala Gonone & the Monk Seal Marine Reserve
Cala Gonone is a coastal resort hamlet positioned along the Gulf of Orosei, nestled below the cliffs
of Mount Bardia and Mount Tului. Originally a small 19th-century fishing landing, it serves as the
primary access point for the marine nature reserve created to protect the Mediterranean Monk Seal
(Monachus monachus, historically known as Bue Marino).
Key Sites & Coastal Features:
• Monk Seal Museum (Museo della Foca Monaca): A wildlife museum featuring taxidermy
specimens of regional fauna and interactive exhibits depicting monk seal habitats.
• Parish Church of Nostra Signora di Bonaria: Established in 1963 in the town center.
• Villa Ticca: A 1920s Art Nouveau estate that hosts the annual Cala Gonone Jazz Festival.
• Grotta del Bue Marino: A 7-kilometer-long sea cave system featuring subterranean salt
lakes, petroglyphs near the entrance, and large chambers decorated with flowstones and
stalactites (Sala dei Candelabri, Sala degli Organi). It served as a historic shelter for monk
seals.
• Cala Fuili & Codula di Fuili: A pebble beach enclosed by steep cliffs at the mouth of the
Codula di Fuili, a 3-kilometer dry limestone canyon lined with ancient oleander groves.
• Cala Luna: Located at the end of the 20-kilometer Codula di Luna gorge, this half-moon
beach features pink oleander woods, a freshwater lagoon, and six large natural limestone
caves embedded directly into the sand.
• Cala Biriola & Piscine di Venere: Cala Biriola features a natural stone arch carved over
clear waters below ancient oak and juniper woods. Piscine di Venere (“Pools of Venus”) is a
secluded cove famous for emerald waters fed by submarine freshwater springs.
• Grotta del Fico: A sea cave perched ten meters above sea level containing limestone
formations and fossilized riverbeds, historically utilized for early scientific studies of monk
seal behavior.
• Cala Mariolu (Ispuligidenìe) & Cala Goloritzè: Cala Mariolu is composed of tiny, smooth
white marble pebbles (is puligi de nìe) below high limestone cliffs. Cala Goloritzè is a
designated National Monument dominated by L’Aguglia, a 100-meter-tall natural limestone
needle, alongside a natural sea arch.