Barumini
Sardinia is well-known not only for its natural beauties but also for its typical and peculiar buildings called Nuraghe, first appearing during the Bronze Age, symbol of this island. Barumini is a small village situated in the middle of Sardinia, known for the most important archaeological site of the island; the nuraghic complex of Barumini. The site is about 60 km. from Cagliari, between the Giara of Gesturi and the Las Plassas hill. The whole complex, that actually looks like a massive castle, has undergone numerous changes. The oldest part is the central area which has a tower that was 20 m high in 1470 B.C, and other four smaller, surrounding towers, each representing a cardinal point. Afterwards, a defensive wall was erected around the entire castle. In this way a sort of village was created including dwellings, places of worship and meeting points thus making of it a proper military and religious centre. Abandoned and deserted for a long time, the village was repopulated during the Phoenician, Punic and Roman dominations, although there is also some evidence of its use during the Medieval Age. The complex was uncovered in 1950 and in 1997 was recognised as a world-wide heritage site protected by UNESCO.