The image that comes to mind as you observe it is that of an archaic stone lock, obtained from the rock, who knows how, also considering the absence of a construction element typical of similar structures built in Sardinia. The precision and care with which the well temple of Coni was built is ‘living’ evidence of the importance of the worship of the waters among the Nuragic people. It was built in the locality of the same name on the slopes of the Valenza hill, just over a kilometre from Nuragus, in a ‘sacred’ area where thousands of years of traces ranging from the Bronze Age to the Middle Ages coexist. Basalt blocks were utilised using the opus technique for the construction of the sacred well.

A staircase, protected by a corridor, leads down to the underground chamber, where the vein of spring water flows. You’ll notice the absence of a vestibule, an element generally present in sacred Nuragic wells: it isn’t clear whether it was intentionally omitted or whether it was entirely demolished in order to use the materials in later periods. The stairwell has a trapezoidal layout, while the room is circular and originally had a classic tholos roof. Today, you can see five rows of protruding ashlars, carefully shaped, and the foundation ring. A bronze artefact was found here, depicting a female character in the act of prayer and was therefore called the ‘praying matriarch’, currently on display at the National Archaeological Museum of Cagliari.

A few hundred metres from the sacred well, you will see a tower built with limestone blocks, about six metres high: it is what remains of the Santu Millanu complex nuraghe. Originally multifoil, there are still traces of the bastion and four corner towers around the keep. Once through the entrance, which is partially below ground, you will enter a small cell, which in turn leads to the corridor. From here, you come to the central room, with a circular layout and three niches positioned in a cross pattern. In one of these, there is the stairwell, which led to a secondary room and probably continued to the second level. You’ll notice some holes on the walls: beams supporting a wooden mezzanine were probably attached there.

It is suggested that the area around the nuraghe and the well witnessed the emergence of the Roman and medieval village of Valenza, mentioned by Pliny the Elder and Ptolemy. One of the pieces of evidence supporting the thesis are the ruins of a medieval church dedicated to Santa Maria in Valenza. You can identify its layout, with a single nave, and the outline of the apse. Its most precious treasure has been lost: a milestone bearing witness to the restoration work performed on the Roman Road of Karalibus Ulbiam, which linked Cagliari and Olbia in the Imperial Age, demonstrating the importance of the site of one of the main Roman viae on the Island.