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The Nuraghi & 'Tombs of the Giants' 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 millennium 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 miscellaneous:
Also quite impressive is
the Santu Antinenuraghi 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:
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. There is also information in the entry on Malta about similar structures there. |