Gallura it's beautiful in every season: the inland landscapes are priceless. A visit to the pretty towns in the surrounding area (2-9 km) of Tempio Pausania, then, will really appeal to you if you want to truly get to know Sardinia.
Here are some towns reachable with a short drive from Pausania Inn:
Nuchis
3 km from Tempio Pausania lies Nurchis. Access is gentle, through green hills and oak woods that embrace the village in a pleasant hug. It is considered by some to be one of the most picturesque places in Sardinia, and one immediately understands why when strolling through the ancient alleyways, made of small granite buildings with flowery balconies, and visiting the courtyards, the ancient churches (there are five of them), and the complex of Saints Cosma and Damiano with its imposing bell tower. Downstream from the village, nestled in greenery, lies the ancient fountain with its washhouse. Nearby, one can admire the Nuragic site “Agnu”, the Sacred Spring “Li Paladini”, the Tomb of the Giants of “Pascaredda”, and finally the railway station, a mandatory stop on the Trenino Verde (Little Green Train).
Luras
A mystery in the heart of Gallura. A charming village whose origins are lost in the mists of time. A mystery that also fully embraces its founders, who are said to have a different genetic code from the other inhabitants of the region. The historic centre of Luras is characteristic and well-preserved. It was once called Villa Lauras or Oppidum Luris, and the very origin of its name is often attributed to 'lura' (waterskin) or 'laurus' (laurel), denoting its possible Roman derivation. Among the hypotheses put forward regarding the village's origins, some identify it as one of the Etruscan colonies of the 9th century BC.
Luras may have also been founded by some of the 4,000 Jewish colonists deported to Sardinia by the Roman Emperor Tiberius in 19 AD. Several details related to the commercial enterprise and the customs and traditions of Luras residents support this latter hypothesis. The first historical document mentioning Luras is the Carta Pisana of 1300. Today, the economy of Luras' approximately 2,800 inhabitants is based on tourism, agriculture, livestock farming, cork and granite processing, viticulture, and winemaking.
Calangianus
Calangianus is one of the “100 small great municipalities of Italy”, home to many factories producing cork products and a cork museum located in the town centre, housed in the beautiful 18th-century complex that includes the former Convent of the Franciscan Friars and the Church of Santa Maria degli Angeli.
The ancient structure, made entirely of granite, was built in the 18th century thanks to the Capuchin friars. In 1866, when relations between the State and the Church were strained due to the Pope's temporal power, the friars were suppressed and expelled from the convent. Following this, one part was ceded to the Province of Sassari to be used as a barracks for the Royal Carabinieri and another to the Municipality to be used as a school, prison, and magistrate's office. In the centre of the cloister, the well can still be admired, which was also used by the local population in the past. During the First and Second World Wars, the church was occupied by soldiers stationed in the town, who left it in deplorable condition. In 1946, thanks to the generosity of a committee, funds were raised from the public to embellish the interior with frescoes by the Milanese painter Carlo Armanni (a soldier in Gallura), depicting scenes from the life of Saint Francis (1948).
Aggius
Aggius is one of the oldest and most characteristic centres in Alta Gallura. Awarded the “Orange Flag” by the Italian Touring Club, it is part of the “Authentic Villages of Italy”. Its landscape surprises and enchants with its position at the foot of a crown of spectacular granite mountains characterised by imposing smooth and multiform rocks, rich in monumental natural sculptures and tafoni caves. The village, surrounded by unspoilt nature characterised by oak and holm oak woods and Mediterranean scrub, natural parks and small lakes, nuraghi and megalithic circles, is the ideal base for all excursions which cannot overlook the famous “Moon Valley”. Its historic centre represents an open-air museum: the old village is well-preserved with its streets and characteristic granite block houses, churches, fountains and picturesque corners that offer the visitor an unforgettable spectacle.
The MEOC Ethnographic Museum and the Museum of Banditry they allow a pleasant and interesting dive into the culture and traditions of Gallura and, therefore, of Sardinia. Aggius is the centre which has managed to keep alive more than others the refined handicraft techniques such as cork and granite working, the goldsmith's art of filigree, carpet weaving, still carried out by hand on wooden looms, once the heritage of all of Gallura. Popular traditions such as dancing, singing (5-part polyphonic choir), the celebration of Holy Week, and rural festivals are still widely practised.
Bortigiadas
A hilltop town of about 800 inhabitants in the heart of Gallura. In the centre, you breathe a different air: ancient granite houses, narrow and characteristic streets, the piazza, the belvedere, and a thousand evocative views transport the visitor to another time. Bortigiadas overlooks Limbara and the Fumosa valley, in a position particularly sheltered from the winds, with panoramas of rare beauty that encourage you to discover even the most hidden corners. Bortigiadas houses the interesting Mineralogical Museum, which opens on request. The pictorial reproductions by Pinuccio Sciola, a world-famous Sardinian artist, on the facades of the houses, are characteristic and evocative. It is the village of certain old illustrated postcards, yellowed by time but which have retained their ancient grace.
Perfugas
Perfugas with its archaeological paleobotanical museum, the petrified forest and the sacred well.
Aglientu
Aglientu is particularly recommended for a visit to the Centre for Documentation and Research on Stazzi Civilisation, the Aglientu Mill: an old restored mill dating back to the early 20th century, located in the town centre, a few metres from the main square, which hosts high-level exhibitions.
Luogosanto
In Luogosanto, the main attractions are the nuragic complex of Monte Casteddu, with its interesting “meeting hut”, the castle of Balaiana and the church of San Leonardo, the hermitage of San Trano, the Baldu palace, the Basilica della Natività, the convent and the ethnographic museum.
