BONORVA

Located in northwestern Sardinia, in the southern part of the Logudoro region, lies the town of Bonorva, 50 km from Sassari and well connected to the main regional artery, the state road 131, which is only 2 km from the town center.

The territory is predominantly hilly, with the town center rising about 500 meters above sea level and is characterized by three macro-areas that take their name from the territorial conformation. Thus, we have the northern part called “Su Campu”, or plain of “Santa Lucia”, with an average elevation of around 350 meters, which with its fertile lands guarantees a flourishing agriculture, so much so that in the past, since Roman times, these lands were considered the granary of Sardinia thanks to their high quantity and quality of the product. The southern portion called “Su Monte”, which reaches almost 700 meters in height, which includes the Campeda plateau, characterized by endless oak forests, especially downy oaks on trachytic and basaltic substrate. And finally, the region to the east which takes the name of “Sas Baddes”, due to the particular orography that forms valleys in which numerous watercourses flow, and the water is truly an element that the entire territory of Bonorva is rich in.

We are talking about a territory that has an extension of almost 15,000 hectares and which borders to the south with the Marghine region in the territories of Macomer, and Bolotana near Monte “S’Unturzera” which with its over 780 meters is the highest relief of the entire territory.

It borders to the east with the Goceano region, in the municipalities of Illorai, Bottidda and Bono, and to the north with some territories of the Monte Acuto region such as Nughedu San Nicolò and Ittireddu. Still to the north, Bonorva borders Mores, Torralba and Giave, while the western border is with the territories of Semestene and Cossoine.

The fountains, water sources, and rivers present in Bonorva are countless, some of them are also of great flow, and cross almost the entire territory from north to south, such as the “Riu Ilde” and “Badu Pedrosu”, “Riu Ladu” and “Riu Tortu” and the most famous “Riu Santa Lucia”. Santa Lucia is also the name by which the famous effervescent water is known, rich in mineral salts and with high diuretic properties, which has been drawn from the underground aquifers for 130 years.

About 12 km east of the town are the “Mariani” estates, a park of about 700 hectares where uncontaminated nature reigns with woods mainly of oaks in which wildlife finds refuge and sustenance, rivers that form small waterfalls, ancient charcoal kilns, and even a church, dedicated to San Giuseppe.

The historic center of Bonorva still retains its ancient charm with narrow, paved streets, fountains, and low, ancient houses next to more recent buildings inspired by archaic models.

The town began its expansion right from this center, called “Muristene” with its own church, that of Santa Vittoria, and already with the construction of the subsequent districts, a certain regularity of the road networks can be seen, up to the more peripheral buildings that are well-organized structurally. The main road that crosses the entire town is actually a provincial road, number 43, which starts from the S.S. 131 and connects Bonorva with the towns of Goceano. It is also the main street of the town, Corso Umberto I, which mainly connects the central square of Santa Maria with the church of San Giovanni, and is a place of commercial activities, catering services, and, above all, of social aggregation.

Thanks to the abundance of water, there are numerous fountains in the town, some of which are of architectural importance, such as the one set in the gardens of “Funtana”, where there is also an amphitheater.

Sports have always played an important role in the community and there are several sports facilities where you can play football, tennis, volleyball, swimming, basketball, karate, while as far as culture is concerned, there is an archaeological museum and a library that boasts around 30,000 volumes.

The origin of the name Bonorva can be found in at least a couple of theories. One of these starts from the name “Gonorpa”, composed of “Gonor-” (mountain, mount) and “-pa” (under, below), and in fact analyzing the territorial position, the town is below the region called “Su Monte” which comprises a massive mountain. The subsequent phonetic transformations gradually led to the names “Gonorba”, “Bonorba” and finally “Bonorva”. Another theory, also linked to territorial factors, would assign the name a Latin origin in the words “bonus” (good) and “orbis” (land, place), or “urbis” (city).

The economy of the town is based mainly on sheep farming and to a lesser extent on cattle, both species raised mainly as dairy cattle. The flourishing pastures are excellent to produce high-quality milk, which is delivered to the social dairy cooperative that transforms it into a flagship product, Pecorino Romano DOP, and exports it all over the world.

Agriculture now is less developed than in the past, when Bonorva was considered the granary of Sardinia, but there are some small businesses that grow niche products such as Cappelli wheat.

The Santa Lucia sparkling water bottling plant represents an important production reality for the town.

The industrial and artisanal area, in the Santa Barbara region, to the west of the town, is populated by artisans who work iron, aluminum, wood, plastic, and marble. There is an agricultural consortium, a very famous mattress factory, and a bakery for the production of the typical bread called “Zichi”. There are three bakeries in total that produce the typical bread of Bonorva, which is also exported to the mainland.

Finally, in Bonorva there is also an important weaving center that was part of the ISOLA organization and that in the past produced valuable carpets and tapestries, blankets and typical costumes of the country.

The parish church of Bonorva is dedicated to the Nativity of Mary, built between the end of the 16th and the beginning of the 17th century in Catalan Gothic style. The façade has two slopes with an arched door surmounted by a tympanum, inside which is set the statue of the Madonna, with a large, decorated rose window above them. The bell tower, square at the base, has an octagonal shape in the upper half, and houses three bells. There is also a secondary lateral entrance. The interior of the church has a single nave divided by arches into five bays, there are eight lateral chapels in total, four on each side, with a barrel vault. The checkerboard flooring leads to a marble altar with the statue of the Virgin in the background which has two columns on each side.

The current structure of the church of San Giovanni is a 17th century renovation of a previously existing building that certainly dates back to 1174. The gabled façade has a square door, a tympanum above it with the statue of the saint inserted and a rose window above. Inside it has a single nave with two chapels that open on the sides of the precious wooden altar.

The church of Santa Vittoria is in the historic center. Nearby was founded the monastery that is said to have been the original nucleus of the town, and the current sanctuary that dates back to the 17th century was built on a pre-existing medieval structure. The church has a very simple façade with a square door and a decorated rose window, on the left is the square-shaped bell tower. The interior has a single nave, a beautiful wooden altar and several statues of saints.

The church of Sant’Antonio overlooking the square of the same name was built in the second half of the 17th century, and legend has it that a rich gentleman donated large sums of money as thanks to providence for being cured of a bad disease. The church, built in late Gothic style, has a façade with a square door and an upper tympanum, with capitals and small arches as ornaments. The interior has a single nave, there are also three chapels and an imposing altarpiece.

The most recent church in Bonorva is that of San Salvatore da Horta. Built inside the former Franciscan convent that housed the friars until a few years ago, it is embellished with a lush garden while the modern structure of the church, square in shape, has a sloping roof with exposed wooden beams.

Not far from the town center and in the hamlet of the same name, stands the little church of Santa Barbara, a building dating back to the last century with simple shapes located in a small square and surrounded by trees.
Immersed in nature a few kilometers from the village we find the ruins of the church of San Simeone of which only a portion of the perimeter walls remain, the architrave of the entrance, and two pointed arches that supported the vault of the single nave.

A little further downstream from the village of Rebeccu there are two churches that are relatively close to each other and that date back to the same period, around the second half of the 12th century. One is the church of San Francesco, today in ruins, and of which some portions of the walls and internal ornaments are preserved. The other church is that of San Lorenzo, on the contrary very well preserved, small in size, built in blocks of limestone and basalt that give it a characteristic color. The entire building is embellished with ornaments in the shape of small arches repeated both in the cornices and in the bell tower but also in the side windows, which allow the entry of light. It has a square door that opens onto a single internal nave.

In the center of the village of Rebeccu stands the church dedicated to Santa Giulia. The current structure is the result of restorations that took place in the 17th century, on a church originally dating back to the 12th century and consecrated in the name of Santa Maria. It is a very simple building both externally and internally with a square-based bell tower, a door with architrave and a single internal nave. Rebeccu is today an abandoned village, which dominates the entire plain of Santa Lucia, with ruined houses, ruins, but also small and restored houses that are real gems that overlook stone-paved streets and two small squares. There are several springs, and the most famous is the sacred spring of “Su Lumarzu”, dating back to the Nuragic age. It has a wall in basalt blocks with an entrance opening towards an internal structure with a tholos roof where the water collects and then flows out into a conduit a little further on. Outside the sacred well you can see some slabs that probably served as seats, whose presence leads to think that the source could be used for rituals and sacred ceremonies, considering the cult of water and the importance it had in the Nuragic age. In recent times the village of Rebeccu is enjoying a renewed affirmation in the territory, for example it hosts events of various kinds, especially cinematographic and literary, which animate the village for almost the entire summer, and with the historic restaurant “Su Lumarzu” which in today’s days has regained the importance it once had.

Just before the necropolis of “Sant’Andrea Priu” stands the country church of Santa Lucia, built around the 14th century originally in Romanesque style, it has undergone several renovations until obtaining the current structure. A very simple structure both internally and externally, with a small portico on the right side where the faithful usually light candles and give an offering to the Saint. The interior includes a single nave covered by a wooden roof with two slopes and a marble and wood altar.

The countless archaeological finds in the area include tombs of the giants, sacred wells, nuraghes, simple and complex, some with villages around them, and more or less well preserved, but the tombs of “Sant’Andrea Priu” are the most significant site in Bonorva. They are considered by many to be the most beautiful and best preserved domus de Janas in all of Sardinia. The necropolis complex includes about twenty tombs dug into the rock dating back to about 5,000 years ago, in the period better known as the “Culture of Ozieri”. The tombs have structures that can range from a single room to multiple rooms. There are three hypogea that are of particular interest due to the number of their rooms and the internal decorations and sculptures. Tomb five, also called the “circular hut tomb”, shows a sculpted reproduction of what could be had in that period in huts, such as votive objects and fireplaces. Tomb number eight, also known as the “chamber tomb”, has a main rectangular room that then opens into other rooms and shows sculptures that represent the load-bearing beams and transverse planks of the roof supported by two pillars. The most representative tomb is number six, also known as the “chief tomb”, composed of 18 rooms and with a total extension of 250 square meters. In some rooms, some cavities with votive functions are dug into the floor, other rooms have sculpted and decorated ceilings. There are architraves, columns, an altar, and even a fireplace. These necropolises were also used in later periods, especially medieval, and the frescoes tell us that they also took on the function of churches.

In the upper part of the hill that hosts the necropolis, another monument stands out, the “headless bull”. A sculpture on a block of trachyte that draws a taurine figure leaning forward, with its legs firmly planted on the ground, missing parts of the neck and head, perhaps amputated by later populations. Due to its rectangular shape connected to the ground by four stone blocks that look like pillars, this sculpture has often been associated with the shape of a bell tower. It will not be easy to resolve the doubt about this and all the other findings in this very rich territory.