Erula and the Anglona Region
Overview of Erula
Erula is one of Italy’s youngest municipalities, having gained administrative autonomy in 1988 after previously being a fraction of Perfugas. Situated on the Anglona plateau in the northern province of Sassari, it acts as a strategic connection point between Anglona, Gallura, and Logudoro. Although geographically located within the Anglona region, the local dialect spoken in Erula is Gallurese. It is also recognized as part of one of the world’s “Blue Zones” (Zone blu), noted for its high concentration of centenarians.
Origins & History: The town’s origins likely stem from the historical winter transhumance of Gallurese shepherds. Permanent settlement grew from the 19th century onward when families from Aggius, Bortigiadas, and Tempio Pausania settled in the Su Sassu forest.
Key Sites & Cultural Highlights:
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Parish Church of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (Cuore Immacolato di Maria): A modern church complex consecrated in 2007, incorporating pastoral rooms, a rectory, an oratory, and a bell tower completed in 2017.
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Church of Nostra Signora del Sacro Cuore: Originally built in 1928–1929 as part of a rural evangelization project backed by Pope Pius XI, later rebuilt and enlarged in the early 1960s.
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Church of Santa Vittoria de Su Sassu (Perfugas territory, administered by Erula): A mid-12th-century Romanesque church built with brown trachyte, featuring a single nave, an apse, and a massive bell gable. In 2011, two fragments of a retable depicting Saint George and Saint Lucy—attributed to the Master of Castelsardo—were discovered hidden inside the base of the saint’s statue.
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Ispiene Nuraghe: A single-tower nuraghe featuring a well-preserved tholos chamber. In 1925, archaeologist Antonio Taramelli discovered inside it an exceptional 19-centimeter bronze Nuragic boat with a deer protome (navicella bronzea con protome cervina), now housed in the National Archaeological Museum of Cagliari.
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Pubattu Nuraghe: A well-preserved single-tower basalt nuraghe standing atop a rocky ridge, surrounded by an ancient stazzo and tourist center.
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Sa Turrina Manna Wind Farm: Located on Mount La Sarra, this is Italy’s largest wind farm, comprising 68 wind turbines spanning the municipalities of Erula and Tula.