Sardinia’s ‘100 Towers Path,’ one of Italy’s most stunning coastal hikes

(CNN) — Made up of over 1,000 kilometers of mostly oceanfront trails circling the island of Sardinia, the ‘Cammino 100 Torri’ — or 100 Towers Path — might not be Italy’s most famous hike, but it’s certainly of its most spectacular.

This epic round-trip journey, filled with blood-red sunsets, ancient architecture and stunning beaches, departs from the city of Cagliari on Sardinia’s southern-tip.

From there, eight different trails totaling 1,284 kilometers await, offering hikers the best Italy’s second-largest island region has to offer.

The full experience takes 45-60 days on average to complete. But for those short on time, it can easily be broken up into smaller trips.

The main highlights, as the path’s name suggests, are the 100 stone lookout towers that line Sardinia’s shores. Built over the 1500s and 1700s to defend against enemy incursions — pirates included — most have fallen into spooky ruin, though some have been transformed into lighthouses and private homes.

Once roamed by warriors, merchants, pilgrims, priests and raiders, the path rewards today’s hikers with the unique scents and scenery of the Mediterranean coast, with its purplish rocks, twisted beach tree branches and sand grains as thick as rice.

A spiritual journey

The 100 Towers Path takes hikers past fishermen villages, old chapels, castles, salt pans, abandoned caves, ponds and desert-like sand dunes, with views of Sardinia’s translucent waters never far away.

But for Nicola Melis, a local engineer who six years ago re-discovered the 100 Towers Path and has since circled the island alone four times, its allure goes behind just beautiful scenery.

“It’s more than just a path, it’s a spiritual pilgrimage inside your innermost self,” he tells CNN Travel. “if you do it solo it’s a physical and mental challenge. You conquer the deepest beauty of Sardinia through strain, and it’s rewarding.

“I love the toughest parts, like the steep uphill hike to Baunei’s tall cliffs, along the Ogliastra trail, with the greatest of views, because you solely rely on your own strength and endurance. You never forget your first hike here, it’s like your first car or girlfriend.”