MONTI

On the slopes of mounts Longu and Sa Prescione and of wooded Punta Turrita, the village of Monti is situated in a broad valley, surrounded by vineyards and cork woods. The remote origins of this town are witnessed by the remains of dozens of nuraghi - including single-tower Logu - by a prehistoric burial site with two tombs of the Giants, and by the remains of graves from various historical periods. The urban area is marked out by traditional granite stone houses and is overlooked by a seventeenth-century bell tower, still adorned by an interesting frieze of small arches, side by side with the more recent parish church of San Gavino.

A short distance from town, in a landscape framed by verdant green and Mediterranean blue, we come to the country church of San Paolo Eremita, built in the architectural style typical of Gallura. This church, charming in its simplicity and built in rough-hewn stone blocks, was consecrated, as revealed by an ancient parchment, by Marzochus, Bishop of Bisarcio in 1348. Here, a fascinating procession, dances and songs are held each year on 15 August to celebrate the Saint's Feast, the festivities being accompanied by the famous "suppa montina" (Monti soup), "sas frigiolas longas" and "sas seadas" (cheese-filled pastry, fried and dressed with bitter strawberry tree honey). Nearby lies an area of great environmental interest: Mount Olia, the habitat of many plant and wildlife species.

A few kilometres away, beaches, coves, inlets, granite rocks and islets dotting the sea and emerald green waters, create the contours of one of the most famous coastlines in the world.

Fonte: Comune di Monti  - www.comune.monti.ss.it