Grotte Domus de Janas

Useful Information

Location:	località Grotta di Is Janas, 08030 Sadali SU. From Sadali SS198 towards Seui 800 m, turn left on SP8 5.9 km, turn left 800 m, signposted. (39.8575159, 9.2618152)
Open:	AUG daily 10-13, 15-18. SEP to JUN Hol 10-13, 15-18. Reservation mandatory. [2025]
Fee:	free. [2025]
Classification:	Karst Cave
Light:	Incandescent
Dimension:	A=797 m asl.
Guided tours:	D=20 min, L=300 m.
Photography:	allowed
Accessibility:	no
Bibliography:
Address:	Grotte Domus de Janas, località Grotta di Is Janas, 08030 Sadali SU, Tel: +39-328-497-9486. Espaniol, English, Tel: +39-347-001-5021. Ecomuseo dell’Alto Flumendosa Seulo, Società Cooperativa, Via Libertà, 60, Seulo (NU), Tel. +39-328-4979486. E-mail:
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then. Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

2005	engravings and rock paintings discovered in the cave.

Description

The Grotta Sa Omu ‘e Janas or Grotte Domus de Janas (Cave of The Fairy Houses) was named after the famous Topic Domus de Janas, megalithic buildings which were erected by the ancient inhabitants of the island, the pre-Nuraghe Ozieri. However, this cave is obviously not artificial and so the name is a little misleading. This is a karst cave with numerous extraordinary speleothems. As a result they now tend to write Grotte carsiche Domus de Janas, which is even weirder. The cave is an important archaeological site and was used for ritual and burial purposes. That’s probably the reason why it was named so, as it is actually a natural version of the tombs. Excavations have yielded human and animal remains, frustules of impasto pottery and two well-crafted lithic archer’s bowstring salvos. The finds were dated between the late Eneolithic and the beginning of the Bronze Age. Also the bones of Microtus henseli, an extinct species of vole, and Sardinian pika (Prologus sardus), both endemic to Sardinia and Corsica during the Pleistocene and Holocene, were found in the cave.

This show cave seems to be rather new, and the development is with elevated trails, which a rather recent concept. The stone hut which is used as ticket office is obviously old, as well as the entrance section of the cave, the iron bar gate and the concrete staircase. We can only guess that the gate was installed to protect the cave during and after the excavations, and the trails were needed by the archaeologists. It seems the trails were extended and better light installed for the show cave. On the other hand, the cave was visited by famous travellers and naturalists like Vittorio Angius, Alberto Della Marmora, and Pasquale Cugia since the 19th century. Cave tours in the 19th century were more like cave trekking tours, the cave was definitely not a show cave at that time. Later the cave was mined for its stalagmites, which were removed to decorate the local parish and some cathedrals in Cagliari.

However, there is not much information about the cave including who actually operates it. The operator is named Ecomuseo dell’Alto Flumendosa Seulo, but we have actually no idea what this means. They do not have a website and there are only three phone numbers given to organize a visit, no email, no online booking. It seems making a reservation by phone is absolutely mandatory, there are no open days, even in August, which is the Italian Summer Holidays.