Sunday June 16th

After visiting La Basilica della Santissima Trinita di Saccargia, we drove to see the Nuraghe, inhabited by 8,000 Nuragic people ranging from different tribes in 1600 B.C. Primarily a shepherding society, the head lived in the main Nuraghe which also served as a fortress or for protection. All surrounding structures were made of stone and cane roofs. However, somewhere between the Bronze and Iron Age, the purpose of these were forgotten and the Nuraghe then became a religious site. The Nuraghe tower we toured was one central tower with three smaller ones arranged in an equilateral triangle. It is believed that the Nuragic people used dry construction and ramps to construct these monumental structures. Surrounded by three generations of volcanoes, the structures were also built so that during a solstice light would enter straight through the structure.

After the Nuraghe we visited La Domus VI- Tombu De Capo, a 3rd millennium B.C. tomb that was reused by the Roman and Byzantines, approximately 5,000 years old. The layout was based on huts—designed as a circular room entrance leading to a second and third rectangular room. Due to ideas of reincarnation, the tomb was designed based off of the deceased’s house so that once entering the afterlife they would find a familiar place.
Initially finding the tomb coated in black smoke, graffiti, and as a home to many endangered bats, the black layer was removed and filled with lime mortar. Watercolor washes and trattegio were applied to faded paintings to absorb graffiti and bats were relocated.

After a wonderful tour of the tomb, we camped ourselves outside for a picnic lunch before proceeding to tour the beautiful town of Bosa. Of course, like any day in Italy, our day would not be complete without visiting one of the numerous Sardinian beaches. However, the beach got the best of us, sending two to the hospital for heat rashes and sea urchins due to the giant gorges under the water. Yet, we all made it back in time for dinner, health problems resolved, and feasted on mushroom risotto, gamberoni, veal, and fried breaded eggplant, followed by our favorite flavors of gelato.