Nuraghe Palmavera
Just 12 kilometres from Alghero's old town, the Bronze Age village of Nuraghe Palmavera drops you into a world that predates Rome by more than a thousand years — a sprawling complex of stone towers and circular huts that is one of the best-preserved Nuragic sites on the island.
What you are looking at
Construction began around the 14th century BC, and the site grew over centuries into a settlement of two central limestone towers surrounded by roughly 50 circular huts. Enter the main tower through its deliberately narrow doorway — archaeologists believe the tight entrance was a defensive design — and follow the internal corridor to the upper chamber.
The standout among the surrounding huts is the Capanna delle Riunioni (Meeting Hut), a large circular space believed to have been the gathering place of village elders, identifiable by a low stone bench running around its interior wall. It is a remarkably legible piece of prehistoric social architecture.
Setting and surroundings
The site sits on the road to Porto Conte, surrounded by macchia mediterranea — the fragrant scrubland of rosemary, myrtle and cistus that covers much of Sardinia's coast. On a clear morning the light is extraordinary, and the site is rarely crowded before 10 am.
Combine the visit with a stop at nearby Spiaggia di Mugoni, a sheltered sandy beach on the Porto Conte bay just a few kilometres further along the same road. The contrast between prehistoric stone and turquoise water makes for a very satisfying Sardinian morning.
Nuraghe Palmavera on video
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