Summary
Nuraghi dot the Sardinian landscape. You can often just get out of a car and visit one. However, just what are they and how are they constructed?
The name “nuraghe” (plural: nuraghi) derives from the word “nur” meaning “hollow heap.” The earliest form of nuraghi were corridor nuraghi, which from the outside resembled a pile of rock, but the insides were hollowed out to create a habitation area.
What is a Nuraghe?
A nuraghe is a monumental tower made of huge, roughly worked stones. A nuraghe might stand as a single tower, or several nuraghi might be joined together as a complex with connecting structures and walls. Consequently, either form might display remnants of a village in the immediate vicinity.
Many tower nuraghi feature several floors. In such cases, there is usually a staircase running around the interior, and each floor culminates in a corbeled dome (a rounded dome formed by stacking rocks in circular courses, each becoming smaller until it meets at the top).
A nuraghe may have numerous niches in its walls, and some possess secret rooms near the entrance, suggesting they were utilized for passive defense. However, there is scant written evidence detailing their exact usage, aside from a single reference by the Romans noting how challenging it was to conquer a stronghold within a nuraghe where its inhabitants were prepared to defend it.
Visiting a Nuraghe
Unexcavated nuraghi are often buried quite deeply, regardless of how tall they appear (as shown in the pictures below), and exploring the insides may not be advisable. A better alternative is to visit excavated examples, which allow you to observe complex tower structures alongside village remains. A prime example is located at Su Nuraxi di Barumini, with its central tower constructed roughly 3,500 years ago.
- Su Nuraxi di Barumini is easily accessible by car, situated 60km north of the Southern Sardinian city of Cagliari. Numerous Nuragic, Punic, and Roman artifacts have been uncovered there.
- Santu Antine, just outside the city of Torrialba in the Sassari province near the road to the train station, forms a complex surrounding a central tower, accompanied by three smaller towers.
