Latest News

Birori

Birori is known for the archaeological sites located in its surroundings.

The Historic Region of Marghine

The Marghine takes its name from its mountain range, which is relatively small and ideally connected to the nearby Goceano chain, serving as the source of many rivers including the Tirso. The Marghine is a large plateau formed by post-Miocene lava flows from the volcanoes of Montiferru. The municipalities of the Marghine include Birori, Bolotana, Borore, Bortigali, Dualchi, Lei, Macomer, Noragugume, and Silanus. The region features a varied landscape and an exceptional environmental heritage, notably supporting one of the last colonies of griffon vultures in the Mediterranean basin.

The Municipality of Birori

The agropastoral village of Birori (Sardinian: Bìroro or Bìrore, elevation 464 meters above sea level, population 500 as of December 31, 2021) is situated in the west-central part of the Province of Nuoro, on the southwestern slopes of the Marghine mountain chain. The territory features an irregular geometric profile with elevations ranging from 305 to 795 meters above sea level.

Origin of the Name

Documented since 1341 as Virore, its etymology is entirely obscure and likely of pre-Roman origin. Fantastical derivations linking it to Phoenician words such as Bar (well) or Birah (fortress) are entirely unfounded.

Economy

• Primary Sector: Agropastoral activities, grape production for fine wine, cereal cultivation, and livestock farming (cattle, pigs, sheep, and horses).

• Secondary Sector: Modestly developed, comprising small businesses in dairy, woodworking, building materials, and construction.

Historical Overview

The territory of Birori has been frequented since prehistoric times. In the Middle Ages, it was aggregated to the Giudicato of Torres, later passing to the Giudicato of Arborea and the Marquessate of Oristano, before being granted in fief to the Pimentel family (Marquises of Marghine) and subsequently the Tellez-Giron family until the abolition of feudalism in 1839. In 1927, it became part of the Province of Nuoro, and was temporarily aggregated to Macomer from 1928 to 1946.

Festivals and Traditions

• January: Festival of Saint Anthony the Abbot (Festa di Sant’Antonio Abate).

• August 3: Festival of Saint Stephen (Festa di Santo Stefano), held at the eponymous rural church.

• November 30: Patronal Feast of Saint Andrew (Festa del Patrono Sant’Andrea).

Exploring the Center of Birori

• Town Hall (Municipio): Located on Via IV Novembre in a modern building housing municipal offices.

• Palatu Giants’ Tomb: Located in the northwestern outskirts of the village, featuring a semicircular exedra with stone seats, an ashlar-block body spanning 15.5 meters, and a rectangular burial chamber containing two pairs of opposing niches.

• Birori Railway Station: A narrow-gauge railway stop along the Macomer-Nuoro line, inaugurated in 1888.

• Salvatore Sanna Football Ground: Located in the Sa Tanchitta locality, featuring tennis courts and a municipal gymnasium alongside a football pitch seating 99 spectators.

• Nurattolu Site: Situated on a hill among residential buildings, consisting of megalithic stone blocks defined variously as a simple nuraghe, a proto-nuraghe, or a nuragic enclosure.

• Former Primary School & Murals: Located on Via Sant’Andrea, featuring a mural portraying Gianfranco Campus created by artist Pina Monne.

• War Memorial: Originally erected between 1920 and 1940 as a pyramidal marble milestone with a bronze lamp and inscribed casualty lists.

• Parish Church of Saint Andrew the Apostle: Built in the 17th century over a pre-existing church, featuring a single nave with wide lateral chapels and a square stone bell tower.

• Municipal Cemetery: Located on the southern edge of the village via Via dell’Uguaglianza.

Exploring the Surroundings of Birori

• Orosai Simple Nuraghe: Located on a plateau overlooking the Birori plain along the SS129, preserving a single-tower structure with an entrance corridor, staircase, and internal niches.

• Miuddu Complex Nuraghe and Giants’ Tomb: Situated along the SS129, featuring a central keep, three lateral towers enclosed by a bastion, an antemural, and a nearby dolmen-type giants’ tomb.

• Church of Santo Stefano: A rural church bearing a 1677 inscription on its lintel, though its architectural features point to an Aragonese 15th-to-16th-century origin.

• Oddetta Proto-Nuraghi (Oddetta I and II): Corridor proto-nuraghi located near the Rio Mortazzolu.

• Pedra Oddetta Giants’ Tomb: An isodomic collective burial site retaining few remaining structural blocks and a portion of its centered stele.

• Padru Lassia Giants’ Tomb: A dolmen-type collective burial site constructed with basalt rows, featuring a centered stele and internal side niches.

• Sarbogadas Dolmen: A simple dolmen enclosed by four basalt orthostatic slabs supporting a trapezoidal cover slab.

• Sorolo Simple Nuraghe: A single-tower nuraghe standing over nine meters tall with an intact tholos vault, surrounded by an extensive extinct village site.