BORUTTA

The town of Borutta is located in the northwestern part of Sardinia, in the region called Logudoro, a few kilometers away from four towns, Thiesi, Cheremule, Bonnanaro and Torralba, which are placed almost to form the corners of a quadrilateral, with Borutta at the centre of it in a higher position.

Its territory, of modest dimensions, extends longitudinally from north to south, with the highest altimetric point, a stretch of the “Monte Pelao” at 730 meters above sea level, which marks a stretch of the northwestern border with the territory of Thiesi, a border that continues throughout the western part of Borutta.

The narrow southern border is located near the state road 131 bis with the territory of Cheremule, while in the south-west Borutta borders Torralba in the vast plateau of “Mura” where it is possible to see what were once the kilns for the production of lime, and in a stretch where the Basilica of San Pietro di Sorres overlooks the valleys below between Torralba and Bonnanaro, which instead occupies the north-eastern border. It is in this portion of the territory that Borutta reaches its lowest altitude, at 390 meters above sea level, in a river, “Rio Frida”, which rises in Mount Pelao and flows into the valleys that characterize the territory towards Bonnanaro and beyond.

The northern border is finally mostly with the territory of Bessude, with which it shares the long plateau of Mount Pelao. The vegetation on the plateau is limited and the land is mainly used for grazing. On the slopes, however, there are wooded areas, mainly oaks which together with the undergrowth form the whole of the Mediterranean scrub.

On the side of the ridge that from San Pietro di Sorres overlooks the town we can find the “Grotta Ulari”, a place of such importance that it has been declared a Site of Community Interest (SCI) at European level. It can be reached by taking a downhill path that starts from the Basilica and that after a few hairpin bends leads to its entrance, today delimited by a gate to preserve the species of bats that inhabit the cave especially during the breeding season. The cave has a total extension of about 350 meters and inside it narrow tunnels alternate with very high rooms. The main gallery is about 190 meters long from which two lateral passages branch off. Its paths develop in an ascending manner, and along the entire gallery you can notice a sort of level marked on the walls, which in the past corresponded to the layer of guano present inside the cave before it was removed and used as fertilizer by farmers in the area.

The town extends transversally from southwest to northeast and is crossed by provincial road 30 that connects it on one side to Thiesi and on the other to Bonnanaro. Parallel to the main road there are two other roads, which connect the town in a well-organized road network.

To the south of the town there is a grass soccer field and a large mural that introduces the town, where there are other works that embellish walls and facades illustrating scenes of daily life from times gone by. In Borutta there are also several fountains, both within the town, and on the outskirts and in the countryside.

At the Basilica of San Pietro di Sorres you can visit a museum that displays the archaeological finds of the area and describes the medieval and religious history of this place.

The Ulari cave seems to be the basis of the name of the town of Borutta, which during the Middle Ages in some documents saw the spellings “Crupta” and “Gruta”, then transformed into “Borupta” and “Boruta” towards the 15th century, following a linguistic phenomenon that saw the replacement of the letter “G” with “B” also widespread for other toponyms.

The town’s economy is linked to the fruits of the earth, primarily livestock breeding, and agriculture, once more flourishing, today reduced to small crops of olive trees and vines.

The tourist accommodation sector is supported by the activities of the monastery of San Pietro di Sorres which can provide both catering and accommodation.

The parish church of Borutta is dedicated to Santa Maria Maddalena and dates back to the second half of the 18th century. The date 1776 that is carved on the door is probably the year of the consecration of the building. It is located in the main street of Borutta and has a gabled façade with a square door and a small tympanum above, four semi-columns rise for the entire height of the building joining the cornice that forms the larger upper tympanum, finally a small window allows light to enter inside. On the right side there is a square-section bell tower. A small staircase leads to the interior where the room is composed of a single nave with two chapels on each side.

Also in the same street, not far from this church, stands the oratory of Santa Croce which dates back to the 12th century and has been the subject of several renovations over the years. Externally it has a very simple façade with two slopes with a square door and a rose window above it. The façade extends towards the right side with a second entrance door, while the square-section bell tower is incorporated into the structure itself and what rises upwards is only the part that houses the bells. Inside it is made up of a single nave divided by arches into three bays, there are also two side chapels, one on each side, near the altar.

About 1 km away from the town centre is the basilica and monastery of San Pietro di Sorres, an important ecclesiastical point of reference for the entire surrounding area, which was also a cathedral when the diocese of Sorres hosted the bishop. Its construction dates back to the end of the 12th century although some sources state that the work began about a century earlier but was then suspended. The building, which overlooks a huge square, has an imposing structure, and in addition to the basilica, has an annexed monastery. The façade is made of exposed blocks of light trachyte that alternate with darker basalt blocks. The decorations show three horizontal orders of arches, five of which are in the lower part and have the large door in the centre. In the upper part there are seven arches but smaller, while the façade ends by narrowing in the centre, in correspondence with the central nave, and rising upwards with three other finely decorated arches. The interior has a space with three naves and five bays all divided supported by arches in turn built in blocks of lighter stone alternating with darker stone.

In addition to the basilica and the monastery, the structures also include a museum that exhibits sections dedicated to the spread of religion since the Middle Ages, as well as artifacts and archaeological finds that can be found in these territories.

Inside the same complex there are remains of a nuraghe, called nuraghe San Pietro, of which you can see the bases and some rows of a central tower, a staircase, some niches and another tower annexed to the first.