We are in Anglona, a historical region in the north of Sardinia characterized above all by a hilly morphology and a coast that alternates rocky walls with beaches. In this article I describe a small town that became a municipality only about fifty years ago, which an enormous value from a historical and natural point of view, Santa Maria Coghinas. Before making the itinerary I asked myself, what to see in Santa Maria Coghinas ? The village, the Doria castle, the natural hot waters of the thermal baths and lots of natural beauty in the surroundings
What to see in Santa Maria Coghinas
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SANTA MARIA COGHINAS
Wine and Artichokes , these are the key elements of the local economy and vineyards and artichokes are widespread throughout the fertile alluvial valley. 1400 inhabitants in a municipality that you think until 1960 was only a fraction of Sedini , a town also in Anglona. A curiosity comes from the fact that despite the town located in the historical region of Anglona it has all the Gallura customs and habits , in fact it was repopulated in about 1500 by Gallura shepherds after the area was abandoned, precisely around 1500. A pleasant walk in the heart of the village led me directly to the small church of Santa Maria delle Grazie , a Gothic facade and a Romanesque style construction, inside it is also possible to admire the statue of the virgin that is carried in procession on May 1st. In the surroundings of Santa Maria Coghinas instead? What is there to see? Let's find out
CASTELDORIA CASTLE
The information on the castle that is currently available is very discordant but the research carried out in recent years has allowed it to be placed in the events concerning Genoa, the Crown of Aragon, the Arborea, the Malaspina and the wars of the Sardinian judges . The name is clearly the first clue about its history, it is known that the Dorias had numerous castles built, especially on the heights, to fortify the defensive possessions of their territory. It is the year 1200 and the Castle of the Doria in the following years passed through many hands and many rulers, but in the 15th and 16th centuries it underwent a slow decline that led in the early 1700s to it being sacked, demolished and damaged in multiple parts by the Piedmontese who settled on the island. What remains today ? Very few ruins remain of the medieval castle, the most important is certainly the famous Doria tower , I suggest you go to the first floor and enjoy the incredible view from the window, it will be a unique emotion to see the landscape below.
THERMAL BATHS OF CASTELDORIA
Just a few kilometers from the village to admire so much nature, an endemic flora and fauna to be envied. That area was known since Roman times, in fact there is a thermal water with incredible therapeutic properties. You can benefit from these waters both "free" near the bridge and through the services offered by thermal center of Casteldoria, where they offer the highest quality treatment and care thanks to theHealth Water of Casteldoria, salso-bromo-iodine thermal water which gushes out at the spring at a temperature of 76°C, ideal for mud baths, baths, showers, thermal inhalations, steam baths, whirlpools and thermal saunas. I recommend a visit, a bathroom and maybe a stay in the area especially during the winter. Arriving at the spa maybe after a morning discovering unspoiled nature, since there are several waterfalls to see near Santa Maria Coghinas , one of them will be described in this article, Lu Tuvu Waterfall .
LU TUVU WATERFALLS
Immersed in the wild nature, a few kilometers from Santa Maria Coghinas and to be seen absolutely only at certain times of the year, welcome to the Lu Tuvu waterfall , the Jurassic Park of Sardinia . We are the locality Buroni and on the day of the excursion there was a perfect weather situation to go and see the waterfall not from the top (as it was usually seen) but from the bottom, or at the foot of the waterfall, in another magnificent prospect. In fact, we must take into account 2 important factors, the first is that without rain the waterfall is absent, with lots of rain the waterfall can only be seen from above since it is impossible to reach it from below, so the amount of water must be just right to enjoy a unique and rare natural spectacle. It had rained for a whole day almost constantly and after about 2 days I headed to the waterfall, reachable after about 30 minutes of walking after leaving the car on the roadside. Arrived there, the show in front of my eyes was unique, a splendid waterfall of about 20 meters that created a small lake, surrounded by a luxuriant nature made of wild green, rocks and "panoramic" points where to admire the show. It was the perfect day, these photos speak for themselves.
