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From Sant'Antonio of Gallura to Luras with the Liscia lake, and Calangianus

In this stage of our trip will continue to visit the Gallura internal Tempio visiting Sant'Antonio of Gallura. Luras then visit the Lake Plain, the age-old olive groves of Karana, and with its famous dolmens and Calangianus with the tomb of the giants of Pascareddha, nuraghe UNGA and the sacred spring of Li Paladins.

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Sant'Antonio of Gallura  

Back on the SS427, we continue to reach towards Tempio Sant'Antonio of Gallura. Before entering the country, a claim on the right shows how to reach the lake dam Smooth, but we do not follow this indication because we prefer to get ahead by Luras, finding the lake just in the territory of Luras.Sant'Antonio of Gallura (name in Sardinian language Santu Antoni 'and Calanzanus, name in Gallurian language Anthony,355 meters, 1.638 inhabitants) is a typical town architecture Gallura on a hill surrounded by deep valleys and forests of oak, with an economy based on agriculture, livestock and the cork.

In the center of town stands the nineteenth-century Church of Sant'Antonio Abate, also made in style of Gallura, which arose around the houses that gave rise to 900 in the early town.

Back on the SS427, passed Sant'Antonio of Gallura, a few kilometers from the village we can see on the left Church of Crucitti. Here, if we turn right onto a dirt road after about ten kilometers to reach the summit of Mount St. Of 619 meters, in the chain of mountains Ultan. Entirely of pink granite, is covered with Mediterranean vegetation, rock rose, arbutus, mastic and wild olive. If you are lucky you may encounter foxes, weasels, hares, wild boars and wild cats.

In the territory of Luras Lake River Plain and olive millenary of Karana 

Continuing on the SS427, take the detour to the right to Luras SP136. At about six kilometers from Luras, we find a new indication on the right for Lake Plain. The deviation to the right leads to the SP137, which runs along the river until Smooth Lake Plain To reach the dam of Smooth.

Along the road along the lake, after covering six km from the beginning of deviation, a sign on the left takes us to visit the beautiful age-old olive trees of Karana One of them over a circumference 2.000 years and do an impression.

Luras  

Smooth from the lake, walk back to return to the SP136 Luras. Deflecting to the right on the SP10 we enter Luras (name in Gallurian language Lurisia,508 meters, 2.706 inhabitants), a village situated on a hill northeast of the plateau Limbara. Already in its appearance, luras, is very different from the countries surrounding it, but it is mainly the cultural, historical and language that set it apart and make it unique in a landscape as varied as Sardinian.

The inhabitants of Luras, the Lures, logudorese speak, unlike the inhabitants of nearby villages who speak Gallura. The cause is still unknown. Main features are short stature and introverted, yet the so-called typical Sardinian almost disappeared with the new generations. The economy is based on agriculture, on breeding, exploitation of cork and granite. In 800 reached its greatest period of prosperity and in the old town there are many buildings in classical style. Around dwelling houses, next to Lake Plain and the age-old olive trees that we have seen, also four significant dolmens certifying attendance area already around 3000 BC

In the town center, is the church Parish of the Blessed Virgin of the Rosary. Made in 1795 with blocks of granite, has a simple facade, an interior with three aisles, the chancel and square barrel vaults. Overlooking the parish is the Church of the Holy Cross, also of the eighteenth century.

Can not visit, in Via Nazionale at number 35,Ethnographic Museum Galluras It owes its origin to the passion of Pier Pala. Contains fragments of civilization and life of Gallura.

The dolmen Luras

Within the country of Luras, near the old sports ground, reach the following signs dolmen Alzoledda. It is very small and is probably the oldest of the four dolmens Luras. Rectangular in shape and consists of three large granite slab planted in the ground vertically, which form the walls forming a trapezoid-shaped burial chamber. The roof is a single slab of granite, almost square, about 2.5 meters wide. The monument has no peristalite, ie the enclosure of stones stuck in the ground which originally surrounded the monument, perhaps with a static function to support the mound of earth that covered it. The total height of the monument is only 90 cm from the ground.

From downtown Luras, take the road to the left of the monument to Padre Pio, slightly downhill, leaving the country. We always left to the two forks that encounter. After about a mile there is an indication for dolmen Bilella, located over a dry stone wall on the right road. The dolmen is very small and easy to type. Rectangular in shape and is quite unusual since the burial chamber is joined to a formation of granite rock which is incorporated in the dolmens. The rock upon which was excavated to repair the slope and forms the left wall, and beside it are planted in the ground two slabs that form the other sides. The roof is a single slab of about 2.6 x2,2 meters. The maximum height of monument is 1.6 meters above the ground.

From the village of Luras exit onto the SP10 towards Luogosanto. Before leaving from town, turn right at the last street of the village, via Ariosto, and continue until the end of the road. Here are directions to get to the dolmens of Ladas and Ciuledda. We find for the first dolmen Ladas, a large dolmen type of tomb corridor that also all�©e couverte. It is 1.2 meters high and 2.3 meters wide and consists of a long tunnel with a rear apse. The gallery interior has a length of over six meters and a height of 2.2 meters. It is covered by two large rectangular slabs of granite, of which the rear, very big, measuring 4.8 x3,4 m, with an area of 15 square meters and has a thickness of 45 cm. At the sight seems to have been polished at the bottom. The death chamber is divided into two parts by a horizontal slab. The dolmens of Ladas were found fragments of pottery without decoration.

Past the dolmen of Ladas, continue to the right along a road downhill and find a few hundred meters the dolmen Ciuledda. The dolmen Ciuledda is very small. Semicircular in plan, with a semi-circle and burial chamber entrance facing south-east. The cover is a slab of granite 3.4 x2,4 meters above the ground is 1.2 meters. In Ciuledda dolmen were found fragments of pottery without decoration.

Calangianus  

Leaving Luras, the SP10 a mile after you enter the SS127 that comes from moving towards Olbia Tempio. Turning left, to Olbia, we immediately enter into Calangianus (name in Sardinian language calanzanus, name in Gallurian language caragnani,500 meters, 4.719 inhabitants), one of the 100 municipalities most highly industrialized Italy, the largest Italian center for the extraction and processing of cork, which is a vocational school for the cork industry, for the cultivation of oaks and the exploitation of their product, unique in Italy. A Calangianus not only cork and granite are the main activities, but also the breeding of cattle Limousine and Charolais breeds and cultivation of vinemeters. It is among the largest producers of Vermentino grapes in the Province. Other local specialties are the production of bitter honey and wild boar salami. The name refers to a place full of galanga, a root of some plants that are used as a condiment and as aromatic medicine.

The church Parish dedicated to Saint Just. It was built in the period before 1500 to work, it seems, the general Aragonese Mosen, but his consecration goes back to 1736. The sacristy houses a shovel dating back to 1597 representing the recruitment by the Mannerist painter Andrea Lussu of Irgoli.

From Calangianus, take the SS127 direction Telti and Olbia. After four kilometers on a dirt road leads right up to over 1000 meters high on 'Li plateau Conchi, covered by a thick forest of oaks and cork trees in a pristine environment rich in natural sources. Continuing along the SS127, just before the milestone indicating the 25 km, are located on the left a dirt road that leads after a few kilometers to the center of Valley Valentine, rich woods and cork oaks with some pens and many areas within a pasture.

The tomb of the giants of Pascareddha

Leaving Calangianus the SS127 towards Tempio, after two kilometers we reach the junction that leads right to Nuchis. Take immediately after the fork on the left a dirt road, cross the railway and are an indication that makes us take a path on the right. After about a mile past the bridge over the stream Badu Apple, are on the right tomb of the giants of Pascareddha. We are at the foot of Monte Deu, where we also find many other evidences of Nuragic. The tomb of giants, quite well preserved, is entirely made of granite. The stele remained intact only the lower part, more than two meters high. Of slabs fixed vertically in the ground which bordered the exedra,10 per side, there remain only a few right and left. The semicircular had an amplitude of over 18 meters. The corridor is the burial chamber is 12.5 meters long, wide and high less than a meter, and is covered by 12 of the original 13 stone slabs arranged with lintels. A horizontal plate on the bottom of the corridor forms a shelf on which were probably deposited funerary offerings.

The Nuraghe UNGA

Instead of following the signs for the tomb of the giants, continue straight on gravel road.600 meters after crossing the railway, turn left and arrive at locations 200 meters Nuraghe UNGA Situated on the northern slopes of Mount Deu. It is made entirely of large blocks of granite and has an irregular conditioned by an imposing clifftop incorporated into the wall structure. This is not a real Nuraghe, but a protonuraghe type corridor. It is characterized by a plant in a horseshoe and has a monumental entrance facing east with architrave, from which you enter the main hall where there was a wooden sliding door that descended from above. On the left there is a cell elliptical false dome and just ahead on the right side of a tunnel about 11 meters which flows south into the back of the monument, through a passage in the natural rock. Continuing along the main corridor, always to the right is a rectangular cell of length of about six meters. On the rear side of the dolmen is a granite staircase that leads upstairs which today is almost nothing, which probably stood on a terrace.

The sacred spring of Li Paladini

At about 200 meters from Nuraghe UNGA, is the sacred source of Li Paladini Located on the north-east of Mount Deu. The source of them Knights, still active, is entirely made of granite blocks with a wall structure in good condition. The entrance to the inner chamber comprises an opening in the trapezoidal shape and has a large stone engraved with a channel for water drainage. The inner chamber, a rectangular closed half-dome is covered with two sheets of granite and is step-free because it is a pool fed by spring water surface. We are inclined to regard it a sacred spring, even if by some is assumed it was a standard source for the daily needs of the inhabitants of the settlements nuraghic the area.

From Calangianus continue to Tempio

From Calangianus following the SS127 towards Tempio cork meet and see along the way, among the many companies working cork, the imitation of a small Nuraghe among the warehouses of the industrial zone.

The next leg of our journey

In the next stage of our journey we visit the town of Tempio with its churches. From here we will shift to Luogosanto where we will visit the Parish of Our Lady of Luogosanto, the hermitage of San Trani Castle Re Baldo. Then we will go to Aggius, with a detour In the fascinating Valley of the Moon, and finally Bortigiadas.

© Claudio de Tisi 2002-2010 - Fiscal Code DTSCLD44M23F132W
Some photos on this page was provided by our friends Alberto Gini and Flavio Piredda.