Tamarispa between Gallura history and cycling routes

Tamarispa: rural history and routes through Gallura

Tamarispa combines local history with a rural setting in Gallura. The present-day village lies lower than medieval Tamarispa and not far from the Riu Mannu. Older Tamarispa was located in the northern part of lower Gallura, on higher ground, on the slopes or at the summit of a hill. Older residents of Tamarispa call the Riu Mannu “Su riu de Tamarispa”.

Historical traces of a small settlement

Tamarispa is associated with the Liber Fondachi. The oldest written records about the place can be found in this register of tax revenues from the Pisans’ possessions in Sardinia. From 1317 to 1319, no more than four families lived in Tamarispa, amounting to around twenty inhabitants. In his 16th-century work Chorographia, Gian Francesco Fara described Tamarispa as having disappeared. Between the second half of the 18th century and the first half of the 19th century, several small settlements emerged in the coastal and coastal hinterland between Olbia and Posada; Tamarispa later became one of these newly formed places.

Agriculture, Stazzi, and the parish church

At the beginning of the 20th century, Tamarispa lived from agriculture and livestock farming. The Budoni museum Museo dello Stazzo e della Civiltà contadina displays tools belonging to farmers who lived in Stazzi, the typical rural homes of Gallura. Stazzi therefore represent a form of housing closely connected with the region’s agricultural history.

The present-day character of the village includes the Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Tamarispa’s parish church. It was built around 25 years ago in a place where no older religious buildings or remains of an earlier settlement were found. On the Sunday after Pentecost, the church celebrates the Virgin Mary and Blessed Maria Gabriella Sagheddu with a morning Mass followed by a procession.

Cycling routes connected with Tamarispa

Several cycling routes link Tamarispa with Budoni and the rural surrounding area. “Budoni verso nord” includes a short stop to visit the old chapel of Tamarispa. The tour also includes a viewpoint at an altitude of around 234 metres, where sky, landscape, and sea combine to form a panorama; it is considered suitable for everyone. “Budoni verso sud” follows the SP24bis through the rural places of Sas Murtas in the municipality of Posada and San Lorenzo to the rural village of Tamarispa at an altitude of around 200 metres. This tour is also considered suitable for everyone. The route “S.Lucia-S.Anna-Turpé-Tavalá-Su Cossù-Brunella-Tamarispa-Budoni-S.Lucia” also passes through Tamarispa.

Getting there and planning your location

From Olbia, the journey follows the SS131 DCN towards Nuoro. After around 30 kilometres, take the Budoni/Agrustos exit and follow the SP24 and SP24 BIS to Tamarispa. The Marebus Rosmarino line includes a weekday service between Budoni and Tamarispa; the Marebus Ginepro night line includes a service between the two places. When choosing a hotel for your trip, you can take these road and bus connections into account when planning your location.

More destinations for planning your trip

Trudda, Tinnari, Monte Petrosu, Lu Lioni, Ottiolu, Tempio Pausania, Cugnana and San Teodoro

For the higher-level travel overview: Olbia-Tempio.