The stunning island of Sardinia has a landscape made up of picture-perfect beaches and lush scenery that ensures it is a popular destination among both those who merely want to lounge on the beaches and those who want to stay active with water sports, hiking, and more. If you are one of those visitors who has found a villa in Sardinia and ends up delving into the Sardinian countryside, you might happen to stumble upon some incredibly unique structures, ancient cone-shaped ruins called nurgahi. Steeped in mystery and uncertainty, these ruins are what remains from the period between 1900 and 730BC, which has been named the Nuragic Age. This is the period in which the Nuragic Civilisation, named after these buildings, occupied the island.
The exact origins of this name, the exact purpose of the buildings themselves, and much more about them remains uncertain to scholars but there have been more than 7,000 of the structures found, believed to be what remains of a number that could have once been as high as 10,000. Fascinating, unique to Sardinia, and mysterious as these nuraghi are, they are definitely a must-see for those who are spending time on vacation in Sardinia. As noted, with numbers in the thousands, you might very well stumble upon some as you explore the beautiful landscape of the island but we also recommend seeking some out, as well. The Su Nuraxi nuragic archaeological site in Barumini, in particular, is one to pencil into your itinerary as it is considered the most impressive example and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Discovered in the 1930s, the nuraghi megalithic ruins of Sardinia immediately captured the hearts and imaginations of archaeologists from all over the world, who burned with questions about the structures, many of which remain unanswered to this day. Theories as to what they were even used for vary with some thinking that they were rulers' residences, others seeing their strategic locations and assuming they must have been military strongholds, others postulating religious temples, some even considering them simply ordinary dwellings, and others still speculating that they may even be a combination of some or all of these things. The example at Barumini, near Giara, in central-southern Sardinia, no matter its exact purpose, is generally regarded as the finest specimen and is the only one to be named a World Heritage Site when it got the title back in 1997.
A settlement and not just a nuraghe on its own, the site consists of the seventeenth century BC Nuraghe, a bastion with four corner towers as well as a central one, and a village that is thought to have been inhabited from the thirteenth to the sixth century BC. The rest of the settlement grew up around this key central nuraghe, made up of volcanic basalt stone from the nearby Giara park, which was discovered during excavations of the area in the mid-20th century by Giovanni Lilliu. Considered the, “Father,” of Sardinian archaeologists, there is a cultural centre built in his honour a short distance from the nuraghe where exhibitions, concerts, and various other events are held to this day.
So, if you have an interest in unique architectural gems, historic sites, archaeological mysteries, picturesque scenery or all of the above and you have found a vacation rental in Sardinia, you should definitely make a point of it to see this totally singular place for yourself. With none of these structures ever found outside the island, they are surely a specific must-see for anyone who happens to find themselves on vacation in this gorgeous and unique part of Italy.