Monti and the Vermentino di Gallura DOCG.

Located on the southern edge of Gallura, at the foot of the mountains of Limbara, Monti is surrounded by cork trees and vineyards that are the base of its economy, primarily Vermentino di Gallura DOCG.

The Vermentino – old Sardinian “arratelau” – arrived in Gallura from Liguria in the fourteenth century, and in 1996 was recognized as DOCG.

4 km. from the road that leads in minutes to Olbia airport and to the ports of Olbia and Golfo Aranci, Monti is located in the hinterland of the Costa Smeralda, one of the most famous coasts of Sardinia, a few kilometers from the Marine Park of the Archipelago La Maddalena

The human presence in the territory of Monti dates back to the Neolithic and Nuragic ages, and is witnessed by the discovery of megalithic tombs, menhirs and nuraghi.

The best preserved and most interesting monument is the nuraghe Logu, also called Concanu calvu.

Inhabited in Roman times, being in the area of the important road “a Karalibus Olbiae”, the rich area of Monti was also destination for the Pisan merchants who were in search for skins, grains and the wood from its large forests.

The castle ruins of Crasta, conquered by Pisa in the late thirteenth century, testify to the domination of the Doria. In the fourteenth century Monti was annexed to the Giudicato of Arborea, later becoming an Aragonese dominion.

The oldest part of Monti still has those beautiful buildings in granite blocks that characterize some Sardinian villages.

Wild landscapes and great silence characterize the surroundings of Monti, as the area of S’Ambiddalzu: oaks and pines up to the beautiful and lonely landscape of the plateau, with low bushes and huge granite rocks eroded by the wind.

The rural sanctuary of San Paolo Eremita is not far from here: a beautiful and simple architecture with stone walls, which in the current shape dates back to the seventeenth century.

In the territory of Monti we also find an agro-wildlife oasis: easy paths in a forest that is inhabited by deer, wild boars, wild sheep, wild goats, hawks, falcons and rare sardinian buzzards (“s ‘intulzu “).

villages around Monti

The biggest hamlet is Lu Canali – 600 inhabitants, 9 km from Monti – at the entrance of the valley, on the road between Sassari and Olbia (SS199).

Viticulture and beekeeping are its main activities.

Sos Rueddos is a small hamlet a few kilometers from the sanctuary of San Paolo, along the state road 389 towards Ala dei Sardi.

Chirialza, 2 km from Lu Canali and 7 km from Monti, is located among the typical woods of cork oaks that form the border between Gallura and Logudoro.

Photo Credits by  Gianni Careddu, click to link for original photo