Nuraghe Appiu archaeological park is surrounded by a suggestive and uncontaminated environment. It was probably born as anuraghe with only one tower, to which, later, other towers have been united, connected among them by corridors, outlining a quadrilobate figure.
In its simple form the nuraghe is a flat-topped conical tower built with stones of varying size laid without grout (dry walls). The masonry consists of courses of stone laid in more or less orderly fashion. In many cases the stones were laid as they were, but more often they were dressed to facilitate their laying. In the upper part of the towers, the part most exposed, the stones are usually dressed with care to ensure a perfect fit between the different elements and thus improve stability.
References:The church of the former Franciscan monastery was built probably between 1515 and 1520. It is located in the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Old Rauma. The church stands by the small stream of Raumanjoki (Rauma river).
The exact age of the Church of the Holy Cross is unknown, but it was built to serve as the monastery church of the Rauma Franciscan Friary. The monastery had been established in the early 15th century and a wooden church was built on this location around the year 1420.
The Church of the Holy Cross served the monastery until 1538, when it was abandoned for a hundred years as the Franciscan friary was disbanded in the Swedish Reformation. The church was re-established as a Lutheran church in 1640, when the nearby Church of the Holy Trinity was destroyed by fire.
The choir of the two-aisle grey granite church features medieval murals and frescoes. The white steeple of the church was built in 1816 and has served as a landmark for seafarers.