Exploring the Nuraghi on Holidays in Sardinia

Holidays in Sardinia take people to a land with a long history. The island has been inhabited since prehistoric times and has been the home to many cultures. One of its most notable is the Nuragic culture, named for its prominent architectural remains - the nuraghi. These tall, beehive-like structures were built over a long period of time, between 1900 and 730 BC, and around 7,000 of them still stand in varying degrees of survival. Their purpose is not clearly understood, with suggestions including religious, astronomical, social and military uses, although current arguments are in favour of them having been defensible store houses for food as settlements were built around them. It is possible to visit the best surviving examples of these nuraghi while on holidays in Sardinia, and it makes for a very interesting, historically flavoured experience.

Su Nuraxi di Barumini

Su Nuraxi in Barumini has been a pivotal location in understanding the Nuragic culture and is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It comprises a well-preserved 17th century BC nuraghe surrounded by the low circular and linear walls of the settlement. Both the nuraghe and the settlement were developed during the centuries of their habitation and were only very gradually abandoned after Carthaginian and Roman incursions. If there is only room on the itinerary for visiting one nuraghe on your holidays in Sardinia, Su Nuraxi in Barumini is the one to choose.

Santu Antine

Santu Antine is another well-preserved nuraghe of similar age to Su Nuraxi in Barumini. It is located in Torralba, on a highland plateau so covered with the structures that it is known as the Valley of the Nuraghi. Santu Antine is the largest - a triangular structure of three towers connected by walls around a central tower. A staircase leads to upper levels, where there is a stunning view over the surrounding area. Remains of a village surround it, although they have not been as impressively excavated as at Su Nuraxi in Barumini; nonetheless, both sites are well worth visiting.

Nuraghe La Prisgiona

Nuraghe La Prisgiona is an extensive Nuragic site in the Capichera Valley, in northern Sardinia, occupied by the Nuragic people from the 14th century to the 9th century BC. It has a central nuraghe surrounded by a settlement that shows clear organisation into production compounds of five huts. These clusters of huts were connected by lanes and such organisation points to the site’s ability to not only support its own people but also engage in longer-distance trade. One structure has been identified as a "meeting hut", with a ring-shaped bench, and an unusual find of high-value pitchers has been excavated from the bottom of a well. For anyone on holidays in Sardinia with an interest — long-standing or new — in the Nuragic culture, Nuraghe La Prisgiona is definitely an important site to visit.

Helen Forbes is from Essential Italy, a company specialising in Italian holiday villas, apartments and hotels. If you’re looking for the perfect villas for your holidays in Sardinia, it can be made so much easier with our help. Our handpicked villas offer distinctive Italian qualities, great comfort and convenience.