~ Santa Teresa ~

Santa Teresa Gallura proudly displays the signs of a very ancient history: the Nuragic village of Lu Brandali, immersed in nature and dating back to the second millennium B.C., is one of the most representative emblems.

The oldest attestation of the village name, Longonis, dates back about two thousand years later – during the Roman period – it comes from the shape of the fjord on which stood its port. Local people call Santa Teresa Lungoni still today.

According to some scholars in the promontory of Capo Testa stood the important Tibula, departure point of several Roman roads; what we can say with certainty is that here there are still traces of ancient granite quarries.

The Middle Ages, and in particular the period of the Sardinian Judgedoms, bequeathed to lungunesi a huge monument on the eastern shore of the port that still expects to be revealed: the medieval castle which tradition attributes to the legendary queen Eleonora. Regardless of who built it, this extraordinary historic treasure trove has lived a short but very intense life: disputed and conquered by the Sardinians and invaders several times, it was shot down by the Catalan-Aragonese in 1422 because of its importance and the difficulty to keep its control.

In this whirlwind journey through the ages and symbols that arise from history as lanterns, you arrive at the age in which the Kingdom of Sardinia was part of the Spanish crown. The monument that most of all became an icon of the village dates back to this time: the mighty Spanish tower – built in the XVI century west of the entrance of the port – which still today dominates on the Bonifacio Strait.

About 300 years after its construction it was a witness and a protagonist of a key moment in the history of Gallura and Sardinia, the revolutionary attempt to raise the island against the absolute monarchy guided by the Sardinian patriots Francesco Cilocco and Francesco Sanna Corda – the priest who died in the battle for the tower of Longon Sardo. An even worse fate happened to the young notary Cilocco, tortured and killed by the Savoy officials.

As a result of these events captain Magnon obtained permission to found a new city for the control of these lands in which existed the culture of stazzi, i.e. family farms common throughout the countryside of Gallura. This institutional entity, in 1808, was named Santa Teresa (in honour of the queen, wife of Vittorio Emanuele of Savoy).

From the fifties of the twentieth century Lungoni – Santa Teresa became one of the most beautiful and dynamic tourist destinations of Sardinia: breath-taking coves, beaches, islands, reefs, monuments and culture make it a top destination for travellers searching for beauty and knowledge.