Tancas Abertas

Surrounded by volcanic hills, the small agricultural village of Ittireddu preserves valuable traces of Sardinia’s past from every era. The Civic Archaeological and Ethnographic Museum showcases a wide array of artifacts and documents the island’s agro-pastoral and artisanal traditions.

Towering over the picturesque historic center is the bell tower of the Nostra Signora di Intermontes parish church. Not far away, the Byzantine church of Santa Croce transports visitors back in time. The patron saint of the village is San Giacomo, honored at the Romanesque-style rural church dedicated to him.

Particularly striking are the many necropolises of domus de janas, carved into the rock in areas such as Partulesi, Monte Ruju, Monte Pira, and Monte Nieddu. Among the curiosities is the corridor-type protonuraghe of Sa Domo ‘e s’Orcu and the elegant sacred well of Funtana ‘e Baule. One of the best-preserved structures is the nuraghe Funtana, which yielded several bronze artifacts.

From the Roman era, the Pont’ezzu over the Rio Mannu near the border with Mores still stands, along with cisterns carved into the tuff at the Olensas site. Local tradition holds that a medieval castle and abandoned village once stood on Monte Zuighe.

Today, agro-pastoral activities thrive, and over the past century, the extraction and processing of pumice stone has also developed in the area.