The Nuraghi of Sardinia Sardinia is dotted with remnants of "nuraghi" (stone dwellings centered on a main tower or fortress) and "tombs of the giants" (monolithic burial chambers). These are what remind us of the so-called "Nuraghi Culture", the bronze-age people from the second millenium b.c. on the island. The sites are significant enough to be included on the UNESCO World Heritage List, represented by the Su Nuraxi nuraghi at Barumini (first photo, below).  This
is the
nuraghi at
Barumini. It is the largest one on Sardinia and is located
in the southern part of the island roughly between Oristano and
Caglieri. The UNESCO description calls it "the finest and most complete example of this remarkable form of prehistoric architecture." The complete UNESCO description can be found at http://whc.unesco.org/pg.cfm?cid=31&id_site=833 miscellaneous:
 Also quite
impressive is the Santu Antine
nuraghi at Torralba, south of Sassari in
the north. It is said to be the second
largest structure of its kind. It is currently undergoing extensive
work of restoration and preservation.
miscellaneous:
 The Buddusò nuraghi near the town of that name in north-central Sardinia.  This
is the structure at Torpè near
Siniscola on the northwest coast. It sits by the side of the road and goes largely unnoticed. It is marked by a sign, but is one of many such structures that is relatively neglected. miscellaneous:
Two
"tombs of the giants":
 Especially interesting are the tombs known as domus de janas (house of spirits). They were built by hollowing out large rocks to form a funeral chamber within, leaving the natural rock surface to serve as the outer wall. This one is on the site of the S'Ortale e Su Monte/San Salvatore complex near Tortolì on the southeastern coast of the island. There is other relevant, explanatory material on this website in the article about the monolithic monuments of southern Italy and in the general article about Sardinia. |
