If you have time - Peddio Oil Company -

Travellers will surely be attracted to the coast close to the town. Santa Caterina di Pittinuri is a seaside town that originated around the white cobbled cove, surrounded by a limestone cliff dominated by the Torre del Pozzo (Well’s Tower) built by the Spaniards. This stretch of coast is beautiful and offers great views of its calcareous promontories, sandy beaches and white cobbles. The most renowned spot is S’Archittu, a tall arch cut into the cliff by the strength of sea. An unpaved road beginning at the State Road 292 between Santa Caterina di Pittinuri and S’Archittu leads to the ruins of the punic-roman town of Cornus where in 215 B.C. the last battle between the Romans and the Sardinian-Punics lead by Amsicora took place. In the 9th century, due to the continuous attacks by the Saracens, the town was abandoned and its inhabitants moved up on the hill to establish a new town, Curulis Nova, the current Cuglieri. The road stops just before the paleo-christian settlement of Columbaris, while the acropolis of Cornus is located on the south-west of the hill. The archeological site looks abandoned, but some sarcofages can be detected, as well as the remains of a three-aisled basilica, probably built around the 6th century. In the town of Cuglieri it is possible to find some interesting sites, and thanks to its various monuments the town is an important tourist destination. First, it is worth visiting the former convent of Madonna delle Grazie, built by the Zatrillas family between the 15th and 16th centuries; then, the church and the former Capuchin convent, which today hosts an art gallery and the Antiquarium with the remains of the excavations in the archaeological area of Cornus; the oldest town church dedicated to the sacred cross (Santa Croce); the 17th-century church of Carmelo and the 16th-century church of San Giovanni, saint celebrated during the Feast of San Giovanni Battista (on the 24th June), during which the ancestral rite of “S’abba muda” is performed. Do not miss a visit to the Seminario Regionale del Sacro Cuore, designed in 1925, which has become the symbol of the town. On top of a basalt hill rises the Castle of Montiferru, nowadays called Casteddu Ezzu, from the 12th century and built for defence by Ittocorre, brother of Judge Barisone of Torres. Other landmarks in Cuglieri worth paying a visit to are: the spring of “Tiu Memmere”, the Seminar's park, the majestic Basilica di Santa Maria della Neve and the various churches.