Nuorese Cultural District
Galtellì
Pontes Castle and Monte Tuttavista
Description
The fortress, built on a plateau at the foot of Monte Tuttavista, played a strategic role in protecting links between the east coast and the hinterland starting in the eleventh century. Galtellì was of religious and political importance within the Judicate of Gallura and was attacked and conquered by the Argonese crown in the fourteenth century.
The castle was inhabited until the fifteenth century and then abandoned. Its last owner was Baron Guiso, a figure caught up in a swirl of legends.
‘Ghosts of the ancient Barons came down from the Castle ruins above Galte’: with these words, Grazia Deledda immortalised the famous ruins of Pontes Castle, now part of the Deledda Literary Park, in her masterpiece Reeds in the Wind.
The castle was built on top of an earlier Roman fortification and incorporates limestone projections, exploiting the conformation of the rocky promontory.
The castle was once surrounded by a wall, a few sections of which survive.
The remains of one of its two towers can also still be seen, in a corner position.
Climbing a stair to the upper level, you find traces of a kiln and a cistern.
From here, you can also enjoy a picturesque view of the Valley of Cedrino, stretching all the way to the Gulf of Orosei following the river.
Next to it stands the majestic Monte Tuttavista, with an elevation of more than 800 metres. Climbing up, you get a view of Sa Preta Istampata, a rock wall with a naturally formed circular opening at the top, like a natural ‘window’ onto the valley.
Contact
- Address:
- Strada Statale 129 Trasversale Sarda, 08020 Galtellì NU, Italia