Attractions and Places To See around Santu Lussurzu/Santu Lussurgiu - Top 20

In 1860, La Marmora, in his Itinéraire, praised the monument, comparing it "to the Treasury of Atreus at Mycenae, Greece, described and illustrated by James Stuart". [4] In the early years of the 20th century, other sacred wells were investigated in Sardinia: Antonio Taramelli, an archaeologist of the first half of the 20th century, finally guessed their function. [5][6][7] His work is completed by Raffaele Pettazzoni, who, in his book on the beliefs of the ancient proto-Sardinians[8], describes the cult of water, also referring to comparisons outside the island. Despite the importance of the monument and its excellent state of preservation, it was necessary to wait until 1953 for the first excavations and restorations, which then continued with the Athnitzi campaigns of 1967-73 and 1977-83. [9] The last excavation campaigns were carried out by Bernardini in 1989-90 and by Arnold Lebeuf[10] between 2005 and 2010. Further research is planned, focusing mainly on the area of the Nuragic village[1] (which, however, had not yet been carried out as of 2012).

In 1841, Angius published a first summary description of the monumental complex in the Angius-Casalis dictionary:[2] «The country church of St. Christina, located in the territory of Paùli-Latìno, a quarter (4 km) from this town, also belongs to this priory (of Bonarcado), while it is two hours from Bonarcado. Nearby there are some casipole for the novenanti who compete there on the first of May. The main festival falls with great frequency on the 10th of the same and a pious procession to the fountain named after the saint, which has a peculiar shape and structure. On July 24th there is a memorial day on which the glorious death of the same is commemorated."

The site is essentially composed of two parts: the first, the best known and best studied, consists of the Well Temple, a sacred well of the nuragic period, to which are attached structures: a meeting hut, a perimeter enclosure and other smaller huts. The second part of the complex, about two hundred meters to the southwest, consists of a single-tower nuraghe, some elongated stone huts of unknown date and a nuragic village that has yet to be excavated and of which few illuminating elements are visible[1]. Although of limited archaeological interest, the Christian devotional area of the Church and Novenum of St. Christina integrates the complex, intended as a place where the novena is celebrated in honor of the saint.

The Nuragic Sanctuary of Santa Cristina is an archaeological area located in the municipality of Paulilatino, in the province of Oristano, in central-western Sardinia and in the southern part of the Abbasanta plateau. The site takes its name from the country church of Santa Cristina, which is located nearby.

Easy to reach and not too far away.

  Part 2. We wanted to climb the southern section of the coast from the Rau Santa Caterina river, but soon realised that the beach had been completely covered with round stones due to coastal protection measures. The climb was originally possible via a path, but later it was clearly marked as private. With great effort we were able to get onto the old, heavily overgrown thorn bushes off the path and continue upwards. There we were finally confronted with several barrier fences running across the path, weighted down with stones to keep them on the ground. This was a clear sign that this natural area is being protected. We accept that it is important to preserve sensitive natural areas, even if this means that we are denied the breathtaking views of the bay. More impressions of this section can be found in the attached pictures.

Part 2. We wanted to climb the southern section of the coast from the Rau Santa Caterina river, but soon realised that the beach had been completely covered with round stones due to coastal protection measures. The climb was originally possible via a path, but later it was clearly marked as private. With great effort we were able to get onto the old, heavily overgrown thorn bushes off the path and continue upwards. There we were finally confronted with several barrier fences running across the path, weighted down with stones to keep them on the ground. This was a clear sign that this natural area is being protected. We accept that it is important to preserve sensitive natural areas, even if this means that we are denied the breathtaking views of the bay. More impressions of this section can be found in the attached pictures.

Path between Santa Caterina di Pittinuri (south of the Rau Santa Caterina river) to the Belvedere viewpoint is no longer accessible Part 1. The hiking trail between Santa Caterina di Pittinuri and the Belvedere viewpoint is no longer usable due to nature conservation measures. The original trails are partially overgrown and the route has shifted to private property.