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Nuraghe of Barumini and Giara di Gesturi

Italian prehistoric site, and the wild horses of Sardinia

Nuraghe of Barumini - Oristano

Among its wonders, Sardinia offers the visitor the Nuragic complexes scattered all over the territory. It is the most important and well preserved among about 7.000 Nuraghe spread all over the island.
These monuments are unique, testifying to an ancient culture that - though it endured from the 16th to 15th Centuries B.C. still remain rather mysterious. The Nuragic constructions were built using great blocks of stone and developed around a central cone-shaped tower that communicates strength and power. These are archaeological sites where it is possible to grasp the archaic charm of ancient rituals and domestic life. Of these many constructions, the Barumini complex, in the Province of Cagliari, is among the sites in the UNESCO World Heritage List.


Giara di Gesturi

The Giare are areas with bastion walls and embankments previously inaccessible. Similar to the Mexican mesas, many archaeologists think that they are used by the Sardinian people as the last bastion of resistance against the invading Carthaginians and then the Romans.

The Cavallini della Giara (Giara horses), according to a researcher, do not belong to an indigenous species but are distant descendants of the first breed of horses brought to Sardinia by the Phoenicians. The Cavallini della Giara are the last surviving examples and are currently among the symbols of Sardinia. They are characterized by a height of about 125/135 cm for adult males (females are slightly smaller), dark brown or black coats, long and thick manes and tails, almond-shaped eyes, and foreheads covered with a long forelock. Their population numbers around 550.