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North Sardinia Locations Porto Torres
North Sardinia Locations Porto Torres
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The small town of Porto Torres stands on the site of the Roman settlement of Turris Libyssonis. It was rebuilt around the turn of the first millennium after being almost totally destroyed by an Arab fleet. The town overlooks the Bay of Asinara and was already a place of some importance during the Roman imperial period - in fact it was capital of the judicature of Logudoro before Sassari was. Testimonies of the town's illustrious past can be found in the ruins of the Roman baths, now the Palazzo del Re Barbaro, built between the 3rd and 4th centuries AD, and the church of San Gavino - one of the most remarkable examples of Pisan-Romanesque architecture to be found anywhere in Sardinia and beyond. The church was built on the site of a Pagan burial ground which had later been appropriated by the Christians. The apses were added later, and what makes this church so unusual is that it has no façade - just an apse at either end. Inside the church are the remains of the martyrs Protus, Gabinius and Januarius. Modern Porto Torres is the leading port on Sardinia's west coast and is dominated by its Aragonese tower. A little way out of Porto Torres in the direction of Sassari is the prehistoric altar of Monte d'Accoddi, dating from 3500-2700 BC. Its stepped pyramid form is similar to the ziggurats of Mesopotamia. The most popular beach is Balai, not far from the seafront promenade. A quieter beach lies just beside the Fiume Santo power plant. It's reachable via the road to Stintino and forms part of a long spit of sand that stretches all the way to Ezzi Mannu. |
