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Su Romanzesu

Su Romanzesu's Nuragic sanctuary above Bitti, with a sacred well, temples and a mysterious labyrinth.

  • Bitti
  • Archaeological site
Plan your visit
Where
Bitti
Best for
Sacred well and corridor
Allow
1 hr 15 min

Archaeologist Antonio Taramelli discovered this Nuragic sanctuary village above Bitti in 1919, though only about ten percent of its seventy-thousand-square-meter extent has been excavated since, most of it during seven campaigns led by Maria Ausilia Fadda between the late 1980s and 2001.

Dating from the fourteenth to seventh centuries BC, the site centers on a sacred well linked by a long corridor to a stepped, amphitheater-like gathering space, alongside roughly a hundred hut foundations, two megaron-plan temples and a curious labyrinth structure whose purpose remains debated. A local cooperative now manages visits to the sanctuary, set at 750 meters in a cork-oak landscape reached by a mountain road from Bitti.

Five things worth finding

If you see nothing else, see these.

  1. The sacred wellNuragic, about 13th to 9th century BC

    A corbelled chamber of nineteen courses of granite blocks, set on the rock from which the spring gushes. Two small standing stones (betyls) stand beside it.Center of the sacred area

  2. The stepped channel and amphitheaterNuragic

    A 42-meter stepped channel carried the water into a circular basin ringed by six stepped tribunes, probably used for rites and possibly for a water ordeal.Linking the well to a circular basin

  3. The two megaron templesNuragic, from the 15th century BC

    Long rectangular temples with a vestibule and a cella that keeps its offering benches.Within the sanctuary village

  4. The labyrinthNuragic, about 13th to 9th century BC

    Concentric walls lead through a ring corridor to a round central room, where over a thousand white and pink river pebbles were found. Its purpose is still debated.Within the sanctuary village

  5. The meeting hutsNuragic

    Five circular huts with stone benches around a central hearth, where the community gathered.Across the village

Plan your visit

Everything you need before you go.

Booking
No booking needed
Time needed
1 hr 15 min
Best time
A spring or early autumn morning, when the cork-oak woods are coolest
Getting there
About 13 km from Bitti on a mountain road in central Sardinia; a car is essential, since there is no public transport to the site.

Ask the cooperative's guide to point out the labyrinth structure: unmarked and easy to overlook, it is one of the site's genuine mysteries.

Official website
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Good to know

How long should you spend at Su Romanzesu?

Allow about an hour and a quarter. Only a tenth of the site has been excavated, but it still spreads over several hectares in cork-oak woods, so walking takes time. Go in the cool morning.

Is Su Romanzesu worth visiting?

Yes, it is one of the largest Nuragic sanctuary villages in Sardinia and a real hidden gem. The sacred well, the stepped basin and the labyrinth are far from the usual tourist routes. The setting in cork-oak woods at 750 meters adds to the feel.

Do you need to book Su Romanzesu?

It is best to check ahead. A local cooperative manages visits, so staffing can vary, and calling before you set out avoids a wasted trip. You need a car, as a mountain road from Bitti is the only approach.

More to see nearby

Same city first, then the nearest across the region.

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