The nuragic village and the necropolis
Around Alghero there are two of the most important prehistoric sites in north western Sardinia. A few kilometres west of the town, on the road to Porto Conte, the Nuraghe di Palmavera is a nuragic complex built from the fifteenth century BC, with a main tower in limestone, a second tower in sandstone, added later, and a village of about fifty circular huts around it. The most interesting building is the Capanna delle Riunioni, the meeting hut, with a circular stone bench running along the wall and, in the centre, a seat and a model of a nuraghe in stone, perhaps the seat of the chief of the village, who presided over the assemblies.
North of Alghero, near the airport and the Sella & Mosca wineries, the Necropolis of Anghelu Ruju is the largest prehistoric necropolis in Sardinia, with about 38 tombs of the type called "domus de janas", "houses of the fairies" or "witches' houses" in the popular tradition, dug into the sandstone between about 3200 and 2800 BC. The tombs, reached through steps or small wells, have several chambers, some of which are decorated with carved symbols: bull's horns, symbols of the male deity, false doors and pillars. The tombs yielded ceramics, weapons and statuettes of the "mother goddess", now in the museums of Sassari and Cagliari.
Tip: the two sites are managed together and have a combined ticket; combine the visit with a tasting at the nearby Sella & Mosca winery.
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