Hiking - Archaeological Sites
An exceptional site in Sardinia, home to three sacred wells
Near Vallermosa, at an altitude of 700 metres on the southern slopes of the Monte Linas massif, lies one of the most fascinating archaeological sites of Nuragic Sardinia: the Matzanni Archaeological Area.
Set in a landscape where cork oaks and Mediterranean scrub alternate with wide clearings of asphodels, this ancient village-sanctuary preserves an extraordinary feature: it is one of the very rare sites in Sardinia where three sacred wells coexist.
La posizione panoramica domina il Campidano e le vallate verso l’Iglesiente. Qui, tra il Bronzo Finale e la Prima Età del Ferro, i sardi nuragici erigevano templi intorno alle vene sorgive, consapevoli che l’acqua fosse il bene più prezioso.
The three sacred wells: a unique case
Ciò che rende Matzanni straordinario è la contemporanea presenza di tre pozzi sacri. Gli studiosi si interrogano ancora: si tratta di tre edifici costruiti in epoche successive per seguire lo spostamento della sorgente, o di tre strutture contemporanee dedicate a manifestazioni diverse della divinità?
Well A, the best preserved, extends for more than 11 metres and follows the typical layout of Nuragic well temples: vestibule, stairway, and circular chamber holding the water. Built with schist slabs bound with clay, it once preserved a projecting double-pitched roof, typical of this kind of sacred architecture.
Davanti al pozzo si estende un’area semicircolare con un bancone lastricato dove gli archeologi hanno scoperto almeno venti “tavole d’offerta”: blocchi con fori per l’impiombatura dei bronzi votivi. Alcune conservavano ancora le spade votive, destinate unicamente al rituale.
Wells B and C show similar features, confirming the cultic importance of the site.
The village-sanctuary
Around the wells stretches a large settlement with at least twelve circular huts. Hut 1, located between Wells A and B, has a carefully built structure that suggests an important ritual function. Two straight walls converge on it, enclosing a space that was probably used for ceremonial purposes.
Excavations have brought to light votive bronzes, including the famous Barbetta statuette, depicting an offerer with a cylindrical turban and offering bowl, as well as Final Bronze Age ceramics and small models of nuraghi.
Il culto dell’acqua
For the Nuragic people, water was a manifestation of the sacred. Matzanni bears witness to this sacred relationship: the spring veins that still feed the wells today were once the heart of a religious system that attracted worshippers from across the territory. About 200 metres away, the remains of a Punic temple underline the sacred continuity of the site for at least 1,500 years.
Visitor information
How to get there: Day hike, at an altitude of approximately 700 metres above sea level.
Opening hours: Freely accessible.
Recommended period: Spring and autumn.
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