Over the isthmus of Capo Testa, going along Santa Reparata bay from North-East to West, among wonderful stone scenes, there are the signs of the particular activity developed during the Roman rule: the granite quarrying, one of the most developed sector of the local economy during Roman age. In the localities Capicciolu, Li Petri Taddati and Cala Spinosa, you can see the points of massive extraction of this raw material, which was an important economic resource in Sardinia, together with the corn export. The wonderful lofty mountains of these places show the signs of the cuts in the natural fracture lines of the rock, changing the original outlines of the granite rocks into perfectly straight faces. Indeed the rock was cut gradually from the top to the bottom, until levelling the emerging part. Along the coast are still traces of mining and processing of the columns: are visible walls perfectly straight, the result of productive processes that during the time have so heavily modified jagged profiles of the granite formations. The importance of the Roman settlement of Capo Testa is also due to its strategic position, which allowed to control the Bocche di Bonifacio, the routs between Italy and the western provinces. This was the main reason for the romanization of the northern Sardinia. The granite of Gallura was particularly appropriate for enriching the prestigious public buildings and sumptuous villas of the imperial city.

 
INFO: Ufficio Turistico - Piazza Vittorio Emanuele I, 24 - 07028 Santa Teresa Gallura