The plateau of the wild horses
In the heart of the Marmilla, the gentle hilly region of central-southern Sardinia, rises the Giara di Gesturi, a basalt plateau about 600 metres high and 12 kilometres long, formed by an ancient lava flow, which rises abruptly above the surrounding hills. Its flat top, about 42 square kilometres, is covered with cork oaks and holm oaks twisted by the wind, Mediterranean scrub and, in winter and spring, seasonal ponds called "paulis", which fill with rainwater and bloom with white water buttercups.
The Giara is famous for its cavallini, the "little horses" of the Giara, a breed of wild horses that live only here: small, about 1.20 to 1.35 metres high at the withers, with a dark coat, a thick mane and almond-shaped eyes, perhaps descendants of horses brought by the Phoenicians or Greeks. About 500 to 700 of them live free on the plateau, in family groups, and gather around the paulis to drink and graze, a fascinating sight. The Giara is also rich in archaeological remains, such as nuraghi on its edges, which defended it in antiquity, and lies a short distance from the nuraghe of Su Nuraxi at Barumini. Access is from the villages of Gesturi, Tuili, Setzu and Genoni.
Tip: the best time to see the horses is in spring, around the ponds; local guides offer walking tours and excursions by bicycle.
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