Tempio Pausania

Tempio Pausania is the historic and cultural heart of inland Gallura. At about 560 metres above sea level, at the foot of the Limbara massif, the town is built almost entirely of grey granite: palaces, churches, squares and paved alleys give it a severe, elegant look very different from the coastal villages. For centuries it was the capital of Gallura, home of noble families, the bishop and Gallurese culture, and it is still a town of strong traditions: the Tempio Carnival, cork, Vermentino wine, springs and Gallurese choral singing.

History

The Tempio area was inhabited in the Nuragic period, as the Majori and Polcu nuraghi and the local giants' tombs show. In Roman times there was probably a centre linked to the inland roads, and some scholars connect the area with the ancient name Gemellae. In the Middle Ages Tempio was part of the Giudicato of Gallura and then passed under Pisa, the Aragonese and the Spanish. In the Spanish and Savoy periods it became the administrative and religious centre of Gallura, with the diocese of Ampurias and Tempio, and was enriched with noble palaces and convents.

In the 19th and 20th centuries Tempio was the centre of the cork industry, still one of the area's most important activities along with nearby Calangianus. In 1927 it took its current name, Tempio Pausania, adding a reference to the ancient diocese of Fausania. It later shared with Olbia the role of capital of the province of Olbia Tempio.

The historic centre

The heart of the town is Piazza Gallura, with the Town Hall, overlooked by granite palaces with wrought iron balconies. From here run the central streets, such as Corso Matteotti, with shops, cafés and workshops. The cathedral of San Pietro, of 15th century origin and rebuilt in the 19th century, keeps its older bell tower and a granite façade. Next to it is the Oratory of the Rosary, from the Spanish period, and not far away the church and oratory of Santa Croce, home of confraternities.

The Piarist convent, with the church of San Giuseppe, was an important educational centre for Gallura. Walking around you find squares, stairways and small fountains: Tempio is also called the town of springs, and one of the best known is the Fonte Nuova, in the park on the edge of town, where locals fill bottles with very fresh water. The Rinaggiu Spa, with its low-mineral water, is another historic holiday spot.

Limbara and nature

Behind the town rises Monte Limbara, which reaches over 1,350 metres at Punta Balistreri. It is a granite mountain with forests of pine, holm oak and cork oak, trails and views that on clear days reach Corsica and the Costa Smeralda. A scenic road climbs to the summit, passing the chapel of the Madonna della Neve. In the Limbara forests you can hike and mountain bike, and in spring the meadows fill with flowers.

Around Tempio the landscape is made of cork woods, vineyards and granite, dotted with stazzi, the typical isolated farmsteads of Gallura. Nearby are Lake Coghinas and the village of Aggius, with its Valle della Luna, a stretch of huge granite boulders in spectacular shapes, and its Ethnographic Museum.

Archaeology

The Majori nuraghe, a few kilometres from town on the road to Palau, is one of the most visited monuments in Gallura: a corridor nuraghe with rooms and inner stairways, set in a cork wood and home to some bat species. In the area there are other nuraghi, such as Polcu and Naracheddu, and giants' tombs.

Festivals

The most famous festival is the Tempio Carnival, one of the biggest and oldest in Sardinia: for days there are allegorical floats, masked groups and the figure of King George, the king of Carnival, who on Shrove Tuesday is tried and burned in the square among the crowd. It attracts visitors from all over the island. In January the bonfires of Sant'Antonio are lit, and in summer there are religious and neighbourhood festivals with processions and music nights. Tempio is also a town of choral music: here Gallurese polyphonic singing can be heard in churches and at festivals.

Food and wine

Tempio cooking is that of inland Gallura, of shepherds and farmers. Gallurese soup, or suppa cuata, is the signature dish: layers of stale bread, cheese and meat broth, baked until a golden crust forms. People also eat roast lamb and kid, maccarroni de busa, cheese and sweets such as casgiatini and papassini. The wine is Vermentino di Gallura, Sardinia's only DOCG wine, made in local wineries, and Moscato di Tempio.

Cork

Gallura produces most of Italy's cork, and Tempio and Calangianus are the centres of this industry. Cork oaks are stripped every nine or ten years, and the cork is used for stoppers, insulation and crafts. In the town's workshops you find bags, hats and souvenirs made of cork.

Getting there

Tempio is in the middle of Gallura, about 45 minutes from Olbia, with its airport and port, and an hour from Santa Teresa Gallura. The road to Sassari crosses granite and cork landscapes. In summer a tourist train, the Trenino Verde, links Tempio with Palau through the Gallura countryside. Tempio is a good base to explore inland Gallura, with trips to Aggius, Luras with its dolmens, and Lake Coghinas, and then to reach the coast at Palau, Arzachena and Santa Teresa Gallura.

What to see

• Piazza Gallura e il centro in granito
• Cathedral of San Pietro
• Fonti di Rinaggiu
• Nuraghe Majori
• Mount Limbara

Festivals and traditions

• Carnevale tempieseCarnival

Nearby towns

• Aggius · 4 km
• Bortigiadas · 5 km
• Luras · 7 km
• Calangianus · 8 km
• Berchidda · 14 km
• Viddalba · 18 km
• Trinità d'Agultu e Vignola · 18 km
• Erula · 18 km

Sources: Grande Enciclopedia della Sardegna; ISTAT. Original texts by Gotosardinia.