Paulilatino - Santa Cristina di Paulilatino

The archaeological area of Santa Cristina just south of Paulilatino covers about one hectar. It was a place of cultural activities over thousands of years, from Bronze Age to - today.

Just about 200m apart from the nuraghe and maybe some centuries younger is the nuragic sacred well, built with basalt rocks during the Final Bronze Era, between the 9th and the 11th century BC. One of the many enigmas, Sardinia has to offer, and the center of dozens of different theories.

It consists out of a vestibule, a staircase and a hypogeum.

The staircase has 25 steps that gradually shorten (from 3,47 m for the first step to 1,40 of the last one). The well is in a "beehive tomb" (= "tholos"), that is 2,5m in diameter and 7 m high. The tholos has an oculus in the top, from where I took this self portrait.