Area Archeologica "Su Nuraxi" (Sito UNESCO)

The prehistoric complex Su Nuraxi is one of the most important archaeological complexes of Sardinia, both for its extent and the complexity of its structure. The settlement was built in different stages from the 16th to the 6th century BC. The core is a central embattled tower (mastio) englobed in a quadrilobed rampart, which is in a barbican fortified by five towers. The central tower has three superimposed chambers with tholos vault, built of mighty basalt blocks of different size, bigger in the base and gradually smaller to the top. In the big central courtyard, a circular well covered with rough stones was probably used as water reserve and to keep stores of food in a cool place. The large area delimited by the defensive wall held the villagers during the sieges. All around, in about one and a half hectare, are the ruins of a big village with more than 200 habitations gradually erected from the 12th to the 6th century BC. In the mid-7th century BC the great bulwark of Barumini was overcome by the expansion of some native potentates, as other important Nuragic settlements of the island. The Sardinians rebuilt a new village around the nuraghe, using the structure for human habitation until the period of Imperial Rome (3rd century AD). The site was rediscovered by Giovanni Lilliu between 1949 and 1955. This archaeological site is one of the most visited and appreciated in Sardinia, and since 2000 it has been a Unesco World Heritage site. On the top of the central tower you enjoy a delightful view on the extent of the village, its huts and narrow alleys.

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