The best cycling routes around Òsile/Osilo

The Fontana di Rosello is the most emblematic monument of Sassari and one of the historical symbols of Sardinia. Built between 1603 and 1606 by Genoese masters in the late Renaissance style, it stands on an ancient spring used since Roman times to supply water to the city and the nearby port of Turris Libisonis (modern-day Porto Torres). Its most striking feature is the twelve mouths from which water gushes, representing the months of the year, and the four allegorical statues of the seasons, symbolizing the incessant passage of time. For centuries it was the main water supply point for the inhabitants of Sassari and today it is one of the most photographed and representative monuments of the city.

The small church of San Francesco del Monte (or del Campo) is one of the many rural churches in the Sassari area (there were once nearly fifty, but many have disappeared). It is located on a hill on the far northeastern outskirts of Sassari, surrounded by olive groves and Mediterranean vegetation. It can be reached from Monte Rosello, following Via Cabu di Ispiga from the large roundabout for about 2 km. The building dates back to the 16th and 17th centuries; the façade features two orders separated by a string course and a central portal flanked by two small lancet windows. On the roof stands an open arched structure supporting the small bell. However, its main feature is the Serlian window (a round arch flanked by two openings delimited by columns) above the portal. Inside, the single nave with a barrel vault displays a small altar featuring a wooden statue of Saint Francis with the stigmata. Around October 4th, after three days of celebrations, the Saint's Day takes place with mass, a procession, a musical band, and the blessing of the animals.

Elephant Stone

Roccia dell'Elefante / Elephant Rock (Trachyte Rock) Unique rock formation resembling a sitting elephant with ancient graves. The Roccia dell'Elefante is located east of Castelsardo on a side road. It is a trachyte rock that has been shaped into an elephant by erosion. Strada Statale 134, 07031 Castelsardo SS Text / Source: sardinien.insel-leben.de https://sardinien.insel-leben.de/orte/castelsardo/

Nice ride to do both on road bike and gravel, roads with little traffic with asphalt in good condition. You pass through small villages after being able to fill your water bottles or make a short stop at the bar to refresh yourself

The Sanctuary of the Blessed Virgin of Graces, originally a Benedictine abbey and since the 15th century a convent of the Franciscan Friars Minor, is one of the oldest religious places in Sassari; it currently also houses a retirement home and is the seat of the Gremio dei Massai Agricoltori. The complex, although valuable from an external and especially internal architectural point of view, is not particularly well-kept and the large space it overlooks (ennobled - no one knows for how long - by a centuries-old oak tree) is becoming a desolate parking lot for cars and campers. Even the friars seem reduced to a sparse and not very healthy presence. But religiosity at the city level - and not only - resists through regularly celebrated masses, religious ceremonies or anniversaries and demonstrations of popular devotion, especially in spring.

Great stopping point. You can continue driving down the forbidden road though

The Rosario Church is a religious building in Osilo, a city in northwestern Sardinia. It is dedicated to Catholic worship and belongs to the parish of the Immaculate Conception, which, like the church of Santa Croce, is not far away. The church, built in the 17th century, is dedicated to the Madonna del Rosario; In addition, Saint Dominic, Saint Anne and Saint Narcissus of Girona, protectors of crops from locust plagues, were also honored in the church. Source: https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiesa_del_Rosario_(Osilo)