Sant'Andrea Priu Necropolis

Bonorva, Italy

The necropolis of Sant'Andrea Priu is an archaeological site located on the south side of the fertile plain of Saint Lucia, in the municipality of Bonorva. The complex, one of the most important of the island, is composed of twenty domus de janas; one of them with its eighteen rooms appears to be one of the largest hypogean tombs of the Mediterranean basin.

The necropolis is located on the front of a trachytic outcrop high 10 m and long 180; entrances to the domus are all within a few meters in height from the ground level and some of them are difficult to access because of the detachment of a substantial part of the rock face. The interior of the domus de janas is a faithful reproduction of the houses of that time, with many architectural details (beams, joists, lintels, jambs, pillars and wainscoting perimeter), tending to recreate an environment similar to that where the deceased had spent his existence.

Chronologically, the complex is dated to the Ozieri culture of the Final Neolithic (3500–2900 BC) with partial use and also structural changes of some tombs which continued until the Middle Ages.

Among the domus, three of them, the Tomb of the Chief, the Circular Hut tomb and the Chamber tomb, are of particular importance for their spectacularity and their high degree of conservation.

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Address

Strada della Piana di Santa Lucia, Bonorva, Italy
See all sites in Bonorva

Details

Founded: 3500-2900 BCE
Category: Cemeteries, mausoleums and burial places in Italy

More Information

en.wikipedia.org

Rating

4.5/5 (based on Google user reviews)

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User Reviews

Monica Serra (2 months ago)
A site that is truly worth a visit. A unicum in the Sardinian archaeological / artistic panorama. Only note: a part of the necropolis is off limits. In the end, you pay 6 euros for the guided tour of the tomb of the head alone (which still deserves them all!). Perhaps in light of this, the price of the ticket should be revised.
Anna Barbaglia (6 months ago)
Place was closed, hours marked in google do not match with reality.
Suzana Knežević (2 years ago)
Very good food, friendly atmosphere
Claire Price (2 years ago)
Fascinating place. I love seeing the reality of how a place is used rather than guesswork which usually how you have to look at ancient places. The fresco are amazing but I think euro€6 entry fee is excessive, as it isn't that large a site. Some English translation would have helped explain how the site was used - we have been to smaller sites and been given great little booklets to take around which really helped us get the best from the site.
metalpsyche82 (2 years ago)
Awesome hypogean necropolis complex with, among others, three tombs featuring frescoes from Roman and Byzantine periods.
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