Alpine pasture settlement and a rocky double summit
Bitalza is one of the most picturesque mountain pastures on the island. The huts, only temporarily inhabited in summer and at the weekend, are grouped like in an amphitheatre around a high meadowland plateau with an altar and a statue of the Madonna – a perfectly harmonious arrangement. This beautiful walk from Vacca to the settlement can be undertaken easily by all walkers while the excursion to the panoramic Capellu summit on the other hand, is only recommended to experienced mountain walkers since the path is rather unclear and a bit of scrambling is required at the end.
Starting point: Vacca, 392m, small village northwest of Sotta (access along a narrow road via Borivoli, 9km from the D 59 Sotta – Col de Bacinu – Carbini road). Park on the road before the village.
Height difference: just under 700m (Bitalza).
Grade: easy walk but at the beginning, sometimes somewhat overgrown.
Refreshment and accommodation: restaurants, hotels and campsites in Sotta and Porto-Vecchio.
Alternatives: from Bitalza to Capellu, 1205m (1¼ hrs. one-way; some stretches are extremely overgrown; surefootedness, an excellent head for heights and good orientation skills are required, especially when visibility is poor): from the open-air chapel with the Madonna, ascend to the bread oven located in the heart of the hamlet. 10m to the right of the oven, continue ascending to the plateau above the pasturage settlement to arrive at a track that ends here next to a castellated rock. 10m along the track, a path marked with cairns forks off to the left. This leads over the ridge at first then bears left, usually traversing the slope diagonally while it ascends. After a good ¼ hr., the path returns to the ridgeline just before reaching the Capelluccio. Beyond the ridgeline, continue in a slight descent over a plateau, still heading towards the double peak of Capellu. 10 mins. later, climb up a short gully, and after this, continue somewhat diagonally through the slope and along the foot of the rock face of the northern peak (1219m), climbing up to the gap between the northern and the southern summits (¼ hr.). From here, soon turn left, climbing over rock to ascend to the southern summit of the Capellu where the island’s south, as well as Sardinia, lie at our feet.
Map: IGN 4254 OT (1:25.000).