Su Gologone

Top choice in Eastern Sardinia


Tucked beneath sheer limestone cliffs, this gorgeous mountain spring is the final outflow point for Italy's largest underground river system. Water percolating through the countless fissures and sinkholes in the Supramonte's high country eventually gathers here and flows out to join the Cedrino river. The spring is beautiful any time, but try to catch it around 1pm when the sun passes directly overhead, turning the water brilliant green. Afterwards, the adjacent tree-shaded park is perfect for a picnic or an afternoon swim in the reservoir.

Scientists have only recently begun unravelling Su Gologone's mysteries. In a 1999 experiment designed to trace the flow of water through the Supramonte, researchers injected fluorescent dye into the waters of S'Edera cave near the mountain village of Urzulei. After waiting nearly a month, they discovered the dye finally flowing out right here at Su Gologone. The spring's normal flow has been measured at 500L per second, though it's estimated to increase to 10,000L per second during rainy periods. And the total volume of the Supramonte's underground water system is estimated to be about 100 million cu metres. Any way you slice it, there's a lot of water in there: in 2010 Italian diver Alberto Cavedon explored the spring to a depth of 135m – but still didn't reach the bottom!

To get here from Oliena, follow the SP46 east 6km towards Dorgali, then turn right following signs for Su Gologone until the road dead ends into a parking lot.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Eastern Sardinia attractions

1. Sa Sedda ‘e Sos Carros

2.19 MILES

The 5-hectare site of Sa Sedda ‘e Sos Carros is sprinkled with the remains of some 150 nuraghe huts, but the standout attraction – unique among Sardinia's…

2. Grotta di Sa Ohe

2.29 MILES

Hidden deep in the Valle di Lanaittu are the Grotta Sa Ohe and Su Ventu, two caves linked by a natural siphon. The former, open to the public, is a wild…

3. Grotta Corbeddu

2.43 MILES

Named for Giovanni Corbeddu, the notorious 19th-century bandit who used to hide out here, this 150m-deep cave has also been the site of ongoing…

4. Domus de Jana Biduai

2.73 MILES

Signposted along the Dorgali–Ponte Sa Barva road, this ancient nuraghic tomb is reached by stepping stones across the river.

5. Tiscali

3.71 MILES

Hidden in a mountaintop cave deep in the Valle di Lanaittu, the mysterious nuraghic village of Tiscali is one of Sardinia’s must-see archaeological…

6. Serra Orrios

3.78 MILES

Eleven kilometres northwest of Dorgali, at Km 25 on the SP38, is Serra Orrios, a ruined nuraghic village inhabited between 1500 BC and 250 BC. Nestled…

7. Museo Archeologico

4.85 MILES

This modest archaeology museum spells out the region’s past in artefacts, from pre-nuraghic to medieval times.

8. Chiesa di San Lussorio

5.02 MILES

The blessedly simple 14th-century Chiesa di San Lussorio is one of Oliena's wonderful old churches.

  • placement: superzone
  • path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
  • possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [1, 1],
  • targeting:
    {
      "url": "italy/sardinia/oliena/attractions/su-gologone/a/poi-sig/1573099/1316268",
      "destination": "Eastern-Sardinia",
      "continent": "Europe",
      "country": "Italy",
      "region": "Eastern-Sardinia",
      "position": "superzone"
    }