Tancas Abertas

A must-see stop along the Romanesque routes, the village of Ardara is home to cultural treasures of extraordinary value. The Basilica di Santa Maria del Regno (11th century) is the only palatine chapel in Sardinia and preserves one of the most sublime altarpieces in Sardinian painting (16th century).

Nicknamed the “black cathedral,” it greets travelers with its distinctive Lombard-Romanesque style, while nearby stand the ruins of the ancient Palacium giudicale.

In these legendary places, the history of a kingdom took shape, fought over by the Pisans and Genoese, the Papacy and the Empire. Here, the ill-fated Adelasia married Enzo of Swabia, who was named King of Sardinia by his father, Emperor Frederick II. This glorious past is kept alive by the activities of the Gruppo storico medievale, a local medieval reenactment group.

The Archaeological Museum showcases artifacts ranging from the Nuragic to the Punic, Roman, and Medieval periods.

At the San Pietro viewpoint, the rural church of the same name offers sweeping views over the fertile valley below.