Gallura
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Gallura (
The name Gallùra is allegedly supposed to mean "stony area".
Geography
Gallùra has an area of 3,550 square kilometres (1,370 sq mi). It is 187 kilometres (101 nautical miles) from the Italian peninsula and 11 km (6 nmi) from the French island of Corsica. The coast of Gallura is very jagged and continues along in a continuous series of small fiords, rock-cliffs and little islands that form the archipelago of La Maddalena, a natural bridge towards nearby Corsica. The landscape is characterised by
History
Prehistory
The first human settlements in Gallura date back to approximately 30.000 years ago, when the first populations crossed the strait between Tuscany and Sardinia. This historic period is known as the Stone Age. Foreign populations colonize Gallura due to its numerous natural resources. Many people from the nearby island of Corsica came as well to Gallura during this historic period. The mid-late neolithic Arzachena culture subsisted almost exclusively in this area, and here is found the remains of perhaps the oldest megalith on Sardinia, at Li Muri.[1]
From Nuragic Prehistory to Antiquity
The historic period that goes from 1700 BC to the Roman Age is also known in Sardinia as the Nuragic Age. The particular name of this historic period takes after the Nuraghes, the biggest megalithic edifices ever found in Europe, which still today represent a symbol for Sardinia.
The Phoenicians founded the (hence Punic) city of Olbia (renamed in Greek, though), which was conquered by the Romans with all of Gallura in 238 BC.
The Judicate of Gallura
During the Middle Ages, Gallura was one of the four Judicates, the four autonomous states into which Sardinia was divided under pope Alexander's assent. Civita (which today is known as Olbia) was the capital of the Giudicato of Gallura and the (first) bishop's see. The Judicate of Gallura included today's area of Gallura, the area surrounding the city of Nuoro, and the area called Baronias (Italian: Baronie). It was occupied by the republic of Pisa in 1288 after the fall of the last ruling judge Nino Visconti.
Late Middle Ages till the eighteenth century
At the end of the 13th century, the city of Civita (today's Olbia) takes the name of Terranova, a new settlement founded by the pisans near the site of the ancient Roman port of Olbia.
By the end of the 1700s people started to move from the hinterland to the coasts.
Nineteenth century, Twentieth century and today
During the nineteenth century the bishop's see was transferred from the city of Olbia to the city of Tempio, which also became a district's capital.
In the second half of the 20th century,
Ecclesiastical history
The region's original Roman bishopric, the
It was restored under the name of Gallura in 1070, renamed Civita after its see (the medieval name of Olbia) and from 1506 held in personal union with the
Demographics
Gallura has a population of 143,921 people; the
In general, Sardinia represents the Italian region with the lowest
Main towns
- Olbia
- Tempio Pausania
Tempio Pausania is a town of 13,800 inhabitants. Together with Olbia, it is the administrative capital of the province Olbia-Tempio. Founded around 250 BC, Tempio Pausania is located 560m above the sea level. It represents both the geographical and the cultural capital of Gallura. Every year, thousands of tourists come to visit Tempio Pausania to assist to the characteristic carnevale (carnival), which takes place at the end of February.
- Arzachena
Arzachena is a town of 12,080 inhabitants. It represents the administrative capital of the Costa Smeralda tourist area. Founded in 1961 by the prince Karim Aga Khan, Costa Smeralda represents the most exclusive tourist area of Gallura. Arzachena is also famous for its archeology. Its archeological sites include the LiMuri Tomba dei Giganti (Giants’ Grave).
- La Maddalena
Economy
The economy of Gallura is based mostly on tourism and hospitality due to the presence of Costa Smeralda and other world-famous sea sites. The primary sector is not as important as in the rest of Sardinia. It is based mostly on wine production. Also sheep breeding, dairy production, and poultry farm are relevant. The secondary sector is quite important. It is mostly based on cork work and mineral processing of granite. In fact, it is easy to find cork oaks in many parts of the region and the whole area is rich in granite, especially in vicinity of Monte Limbara. Cork production is one of the main economic activity in the interior, while on the coasts are developed fish factories and shipyards.
Transportation
Gallura has one international airport (
Another way to reach the region of Gallura is by ferry. The ferry companies operating on the Island are Tirrenia di Navigazione, Moby Lines, Corsica Ferry, Grandi Navi Veloci, Snav, SNCM and CMN. They link the harbors of Olbia, Golfo Aranci, Santa Teresa di Gallura and Palau to the harbors of the Italian peninsula, France, Corsica and Spain.
Culture
Language
The native language of the area is
Environment
With 1,213,250 hectares of woods, Sardinia represents the Italian region with the largest forest extension. Regional landscape plans regulate building activities along the coasts, the forests, and other natural sites.
- National Parks
Sardinia has ten
Renewable energies
Renewable energies have increased impressively during the recent years in Sardinia. Due to the windy climate, the most important renewable energy in Gallura is the wind power. During the past years however, the installation of wind power systems has been the subject of controversial debates due to its landscape impact.
References
- ^ A. Sinclair & J. Bradbury; Megaliths and their Mysteries; 1979; MacMillan Publishing; pp. 104-108
Sources and external links
- Martina Di Marco Blog
- La Mia Sardegna
- Sardinia on Wikipedia
- Sardegna Turismo-Tourism in Sardinia
- Analysis of Sardinia's Demographics
- Gallura in Tasca
- Gallura Sviluppo-Economics Archived 2011-07-22 at the Wayback Machine
- Itinerari-Tourism[permanent dead link]
- Info Sardinia
- Sardegna Ambiente-Environment
- Caica Sardegna-Environment