May 30 Nuraghe, wine and Su Gologone

Barumini Nuraghe

Today we headed north to the mountains. Our first stop was near Barumini to visit an ancient nuraghe. Nuraghes are ancient megalithic edifices, watch towers, or fortresses found in Sardinia. They were built 3500-4000 years ago during the Nuragic civilization and are dotted throughout Sardinia. The building of this particular one commenced around C15 BC.  It reminded me of the Iron Age Brochs we saw in Scotland in 2018. When I mentioned that to our guide she said that ancient Sardinia had links with the Celts. So the commonality made some sense. We wandered through the remains of an Iron Age village outside the main tower before climbing to the crumbling tower top. Some of that ascent was within the walls of the tower. When we reached the top the view was breathtaking but then we dived back inside the walls to descend in the narrow space between the shells of the tower down into the heart of the fortress. Of course we eventually had to retrace our steps ending up with grazed shins and elbows. It was very hard going but I’m glad I did it (despite my broken toe from the previous night - I kicked on the leg of the bed!).

An interesting structure- perhaps a ceremonial chamber

We climbed to the top only to descend to the bottom way below 

Then we had to do it in reverse!

This was a private church with a delightfully tranquil garden

We saw the excavated ruins of another ancient buried village close by before a visit to a winery complete with tasting and what they called a light lunch - 3 courses! 

Historic wine making vessels

Some of their wine is prepared in a style which mimics that of ancient Georgia, a style dating back 8000 years. Today they use a slightly modified version of the Qvevri

The winery had a pretty garden in an idyllic setting 

Local cheese made from sheep’s milk and cured pork

Exhausted but happy we finished the day with cocktails on a hanging terrace gazing out at the magnificent Gennargentu mountains. And to crown this gustatory experience we were presented with mouth-watering suckling pig cooked in front of a huge open fire. What a day! What a place! The food! Our accommodation, Hotel Su Gologone, is superb - a collection of whitewashed ‘rooms’ sprawling up the mountainside, decorated with stunning artwork.

It was quite a walk to get up here but the view over the mountains was worth it.

Suckling pig roasting by the fire

The works of art were quite beautiful and extraordinary