PADRIA

A predominantly hilly town with reliefs that slightly exceed 400 meters in altitude, with several portions of flat land, geographically the territory of Padria extends into the so-called “Media Valle del Temo”, in the southernmost part of the Logudoro region.

The town was built on the slopes of three hills, San Giuseppe, San Pietro, and San Paolo, which according to tradition protect the town. Padria borders to the north with the territories of Romana and Monteleone Roccadoria, to the northwest with Villanova Monteleone, to the northeast with Mara and Cossoine, to the east and south with Pozzomaggiore, and to the southwest with Bosa.

The territory is characterized by the presence of several watercourses that then flow into the most important one, the river “Temo”, which crosses the territory from north to south. The border to the south and south-west is marked by a long river that changes name depending on the location, which in the last stretch takes the name of “Su Entale”, and which before flowing into the Temo river towards Bosa crosses a canyon of about 2 km long, and deep enough to create admirable waterfalls.

Today’s town evolved from a historic center built on the ruins of the Roman city “Gurulis Vetus” with a structural and road system that converged towards the hill of San Paolo, on which nowadays you can find the remains of what in the past must have been a real acropolis. What remains today is the archaeological complex called “Su Palattu”, of which you can see a portion of the surrounding wall that also had the function of terracing, and the remains of a baronial palace built in the 15th century by the baronial De Ferrera family when they acquired the fiefdom and the villa of Padria.

In the historic center of the town there are numerous noble palaces from the 19th century that testify to the prestige enjoyed by this territory. Even the common and more modest houses show a cult of beauty in their ornamental elements and in the architraves carved in stone by the skilled stonemasons present in the town.

The wealth of historical finds and artefacts has allowed the establishment of the archaeological museum, which displays objects dating back to the pre-Nuragic period such as vases and points dating back to the Culture of San Michele in Ozieri, finds dating back to the Bronze Age and the period of Phoenician and Roman settlements.

The name of the ancient village “Gurulis Vetus” derives from the Phoenician “Gurel” then transformed into Gurulis by the Romans, which meant large mansion. Mansion intended as a rest stop on Roman roads. “Vetus” also derives from the Roman and means old.

As for the current name of the town, there are at least two theories. According to the first, the inhabitants of Gurulis Nova returned to their original village after several centuries and renamed it “Patria”, in memory of what it had been long before. Another toponymic theory attributes this name starting from the name of a locality present in many municipalities, which is “Su Padru”, and which indicates a land with characteristics of a meadow or garden. From this name of the locality, with slight modifications, the name Padria that we know today would have been obtained.

Padria’s economy is mainly based on agriculture and livestock breeding. Until a few decades ago, the cultivation of wheat and cereals was quite developed in the area, while lately these lands are giving way to pastures, especially sheep.

As for the tourist aspect, the presence of several noble palaces within the town attracts the curiosity of visitors, while for lovers of walking, trekking and mountain biking, there are numerous routes that allow visitors to explore the natural beauties in the town, and make them stay in the various accommodation facilities.

The parish church of Santa Giulia dates back to the 16th century and, according to the date carved on the facade, its inauguration took place in 1520. The peculiarity of this church is in its location, in fact it was built on the spot where another church dating back to the late 12th century once stood in the medieval period, which in turn followed the plan of another previous church dating back to the 4th century. The facade made of limestone blocks from local quarries has an arched door decorated with columns and surmounted by a rose window with the Star of David inside. At the ends of the facade two spurs that follow the entire elevation have both a structural and ornamental function, with statues inserted halfway up and joined to each other by a decoration with small arches that are then repeated along the upper cornice of the gabled roof. The church is supported along its length by lateral buttresses inside which the nine chapels are housed. In the interior part is a single nave divided by five large arches with cross vaults. The most particular aspect of the church is its floor, which is in crystal in half of the nave and shows the ancient structures brought to light by the excavation campaign

In the northern part of the town, at the foot of the San Paolo hill, we can find the church of Santa Croce. For this sanctuary too we have a date carved in stone that reports the year 1543. The church is dedicated to San Michele Arcangelo and is today an oratory and the seat of the confraternity of Santa Croce.

On the opposite side of the town stands the church of Santa Maria degli Angeli, built around the Franciscan convent that overlooks a small square. Also known as the church of Sant’Antonio, who is honored in this sanctuary on 13 June and 2 October, it has a single nave and six side chapels.

The archaeological wealth of the Padria area spans eras that start from the Neolithic period with the “domus de Janas” in the localities of “Baddenare” and “Monte Ruggiu”. The Nuragic age saw numerous settlements and the nuraghes present in large numbers throughout the territory are proof of this. The bastion on which the monumental complex of Su Palattu was later built dates back to the Phoenician Punic period, while from the period of Roman domination three bridges along the river Temo, called “Ettori”, “Ulumu”, and “Enas”, and the ancient silver mine of “Salghertalzu” have come down to us.