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Roccia dell'Elefante, or Elephant rock, on Sardinia.

© Vesna Kriznar/Shutterstock

Roccia dell'Elefante

Northwestern Sardinia


From Castelsardo, the SS134 Sedini road leads to one of the area’s most lovable landmarks, the Roccia dell’Elefante, a bizarre trachyte rock that looks just like an elephant raising its trunk towards the road. The monolith's shape is the result of nothing more mysterious than wind and rain erosion, but it's been the source of local interest for millennia, as witnessed by the presence of two neolithic tombs (known as domus de janas or ‘fairy houses’) in the hollow interior.

The upper tomb has been damaged by erosion, but the lower one is still in good shape, with four small rooms and a rock carving of a bull’s horns.