The first to appear are mysterious megalithic circles and then, almost in chronological order, there are other structures: the nuraghe emerges on top of a rocky outcrop; not far away, there are the surviving traces of a Giants’ Tomb and, lastly, the sacred area, with a spring that has a surprising feature. The Nuragic complex of Nòddule is located in the territory of Nuoro in the locality of su Linnamene, on the border of the Orune territory, in an area covered in granite rocks and cork oaks. The site was frequented from the 3rd millennium BC until Roman times, perhaps with a few sporadic periods of abandonment. Evidence of the pre-Nuragic phase are found in the megalithic walls and in two circles, made up of large granite rocks slightly spaced apart, the function of which is uncertain. It has been suggested that they represent a sort of prehistoric ‘calendar’, with the stones positioned according to the movement of the stars. When entering the complex, you will be ‘leaping’ forward in time as you explore the Nuragic monuments.

The nuraghe is a complex, trefoil one, surrounded by walls. You can enter the keep from the southern entrance, which leads to a corridor equipped with a bartizan. Just over four metres of the tower has been preserved and it has a diameter of about eight metres. A courtyard connects the two secondary towers. Next to the towers you will see traces of rectangular rooms: they were built with materials resulting from the collapse of the nuraghe in Roman or early medieval times. Then, around the nuraghe, you’ll see six Nuragic huts, the largest of which has a hearth in the centre.

The sacred area is located inside an enclosure containing several circular spaces and a spring. The well temple consists of a quadrangular vestibule with bench-seats and a cylindrical well that collected the water. Trachyte ashlars were used to create it and were positioned in even rows in the well, on the façade and in the tholos roof, where you will be amazed by the variety of colours in the ashlars and the decoration of the stone closing the building, with an eye-shaped hollow, almost as if the spring wanted to ‘observe’ its visitors. Beyond the settlement, but pertaining to it, you will see traces of a small Giants’ Tomb. It was built in rows, with large, well-squared granite ashlars. Many of them have been removed, but you can still identify the layout and the base rows of the funeral chamber and the exedra.