Baunei (Sardegna)
Baunei is a small town in Ogliastra (the central-eastern region of Sardinia). It lies on the ridge of a limestone mountain, at an altitude of about 500 meters above the sea level, overlooking the plains below and the Gulf of Arbatax.
The town is located halfway between Cagliari and Olbia, at km 155 of the Highway “Orientale Sarda” (also known as the “State Highway 125). Baunei was once a mountain village with a purely agropastoral development, but today (along with its coastal hamlet of “Santa Maria Navarrese”) it is one of the most popular tourist destinations on the east coast of the island.
The recent socio-economic changes in the village are due to a combination of the ideal location of the sea village (developed all around a medieval country church, dedicated to “The Assumption of The Blessed Virgin Mary”) and the particular features of the surrounding territory.
In fact, there is no other village in Sardinia which can boast such a mix of mountain and sea landscapes: the beauty of its fabulous coast, famous for its coves set into the limestone cliffs (Cala Goloritzè, Cala Mariolu – Ispuligedenie, Cala Biriala, Cala Sisine and Cala Luna) is overtaken by the sensational mountain views of the hinterland, ideal for those who enjoy trekking in direct contact with wild nature.
Golgo Plateau
A wide plateau covered with a dark casting of Pleistocene basaltic lava, separated from the sea by the whitish ridges of limestone mountains, typical features of the inland parts of Baunei.
This is what the Plateau of Golgo looks like, a real “mountain gap”, along the eastern coast of Sardinia, for those coming from Baunei along the road called “BiaMaore”.
Rich in important historical and archaeological sites, well known for the presence of a frightening karstic pit called “Su Sterru” (one of the deepest in Europe among those with a single-span), the plateau is one of the main attractions of the vast territory (22.000 acres) of Baunei.
Imposing remains of the Nuragic civilisation, the “Nuraghi”, towers of stones, strategically placed to defend the valley, and a charming country church dating back to the late sixteenth century, tell us about an ancient human presence in the plateau of Golgo.
Extraordinary witness of a mysterious distant past is the nuragical anthropomorphic Betyl which is considered as a unique item in Sardinian archeology. It is located in front of the wall surrounding the churchyard and it has been studied in depth since the 70s.
An aura of mystery surrounds the pools called As Piscinas which are bizarre basalt basins, situated not far from “Su Sterru”, where rainwater stagnates all year.
This is a site where, according to experts of the Nuragic Age, magical rites linked to the worhip of water took place.