Tonara in Breve

Tonara, 910 m. above sea level, is almost in the centre of the East side of mount Muggianeddu, of peak Ghenna e’ Frores, of Conca e’ Giuanni Fais of Muscurida, the last spurs of Gennargentu toward West. It exstends until the heights of Su Pranu e’ Tonnai and of Ghenna e’ Greccu. Thanks to this happy position it enjoys a cold but healthy climate. The territory is extraordinarily rich of water springs, and demotes toward South, beyond the flow of Rio Uatzo, as far as S’Appussorgia and Bruncu Istiddì.

Tonara has a happy position between mountains, plains, woods of chestnuts, and with its 1000 metres, is the highest of Barbagia Mandrolisai centers. The town – with its four sections of Toneri, Teliseri, Arasulè and Su Pranu – is surrounded by green countryside.

The 80% of the territory is covered with woods of chestnuts, hazels, holms oaks, oaks, hollies.

The most suggestive angles are: peak Muggianeddu (1469), that can be reached from Arasulè with a route about 4 Kilometres long, Ghenna e’ Frores, Osolì, and Conca e’ Giuanni Fais (1499 m.) .

The excursion to the peak of Monte Muggianeddu has been inserted as a possible variant of the naturalistic path of Gal.

The mountain elevates at the North of the valley who limits the Gennargentu, the deepest in Sardinia. Beautiful panoramic, especially landscapes, can be enjoyed toward north–east: a very harsh and wild zone. Nearby, at the top of mount Muggianeddu and Giuanni Fais, we can enjoy exstensived panoramic views toward the Gulf of Cagliari. In the South the territory is rich of holly and holm oaks and of the falls formed by the stream Pizzirimasa, with a jump of 20 mt. that is 1 Kilometre outside the village along the arterial 295 toward Aritzo. At a corner along the road there is the equipped area of Santu Giaccu, with 500 seats, barbecue and services belonging to the municipal town, remarkable economic resource. The Funtana of Morù, that has a big flow, gushes out in the historic area of Toneri, under the Tacco of Su Toni. The state forest of Uatzo, 569 metres; is characterized by trees of holm, cork, durmast and chesnuts as well as by Mediterranean bush. The lake of Torrei is a beautiful mountain lake realized in 1975, situated in the deep valley of Torrei. Su Toni is a platform of giurassic limestones situated between the valley of San Sebastiano and Baccu Sa Codina. It resists to the strong erosion of winds despite her heigth, because it is protected by mountains. In this resort there are spontaneous orchids which in spring adorne the green countryside. Tonara is part of it and domitates all the valley below. The territory, 52 Kilometres metres, belongs to the historic Barbagia of Belvì and borders on Desulo (East) and on Belvì (South), on Tiana (North) and on Sorgono (West). A good panoramic point to admire from which the village and its surrounding mountains in the plain of Ghenna e’ Greccu (1095 m.), near Sorgono. Tonara, almost the heart of Sardinia, with its so different and suggestive territory, has really interesting naturalistic aspects. The woods of holm – oak, oak, and chestnut, lodge in the holly, a quiet companion, when they are situated in cold and humid zones ( there is an imposing secular holly in Mont’ e Susu, on the least exposed side below the shade of peak Muggianeddu). There are the walnut, and the hazel, too.

The vegetation changes continuously, the majestic plants of high stem frame an undergrowth rich of the most various plants. The Mediterranean climate favours the presence of many ferns: felce aquilina, felce maschio, the lingua di cane.

Also the most inattentive visitor is struck by the blooming of the “peonia” (Peonia mascula ssp “russi”) called “orrosa burda” in sardinian language. “Orrosa burda” means underbred rose, so called because it is beautiful like a rose but it isn’t a rose. In areas rich of sources and torrents, we can see the “orobanche denudata”. This endemic essence is a yellow parassitic plant that lives between the bramble and the elder trees. Near “sa Funtana ‘e s’Abe” we can find some nice green orchids such as the “epipatics helleborine” and the “epipatics microphylla”.

In “Monte susu” mountain the bay oaks predominate and there are particular specimens. In “su Calavrige” resort an exemplar, high 15 mt stands out with a circumference of 10 mt. Beyond these there are more woods, planted by men, like pins, fears and cedars which give wonderful colours. The undergrowth is very rich, too.

The following species stand out: strawberry tree (corbezzolo); rock rose (cisto); heather (erica). In autumn it is possible to pick up some mushrooms, like “boletus aereus”, “boletus regius”, “pleurotus ostreatus”, “cantharellus cibarius”, “amanita caesarea”.

On the top of the mountains there are plants adapted to the difficult enviroment, such as: the thyme (timo), the dwarf juniper (ginepro nano) and the prostrate plum tree (pruno prostrato). Rare and appreciated are the “digitalis purpurea” (cardiotonic) and the “gentiana lutea” (aromatic essence). The variety of natural environments offer the ideal habitat for many animal species, whether migratory or not. In ancient times the fauna of Tonara was certainly more various.

In our memory we have no traces of fallow-deers (daini) and deers (cervi), disappeared because of the anthropical problem on the mountain so as the vultures that cleaned up the territory from the animal breedings dead of epidemics and privations. The low thorny bushes, aromatic essences and rocky breakthroughs characterize the “Conca Giuanni Fais”, in “Monte Muggianeddu”, “Punta Perdu Arbes” and “Punta Muscurida” mountains. Here we can see many small passeriformes: “culbianco” and “codirossone”. The sardinian partridge is pratically ubiquitarian while the quail nests in the wide meadows and on the top of the mountains. In the big woods there are lots of birds like: jays (ghiandaie), thrushs (tordi), ousels (merli), robins (pettirossi), red pied woodpeckers (picchi rossi maggiori), goatsuchers (succiacapre), titmouses (cincie), doves (colombacci) and turtledoves (tortore). Among the birds of prey we distinguish the sparrow-hawk of Sardinia (sparviero di Sardegna), the goshawk (astore), and the pilgrim hawk (falco pellegrino), the buzzard of Sardinia (poiana di Sardegna): these are diurnal birds and they feed on mouses, insects and reptiles. The nocturnal birds of prey are: the owl (civetta), called “tzonca”in Sardinia, the horn owl (assiolo), and the white barn-owl (barbagianni) called “s’istria”. The most common reptiles are: lizards (lucertole) and non-poisonous-snakes (biscie). The emblem of Tonara woods is the wild-boar (cinghiale), called “sirbone”, that feed on chestnuts, hazel-nuts, walnuts and acorns of which the territory is rich. Common is the fox, called in Tonara “margiane”, less common is the weasel (“s’erruca ‘e mela”), while the marten (“s’isbirru”) is rarer.

From the top of the hill Su Nuratze, where there should have been a nuraghe (and from this its name), we dominate the landscape until Belvì and Aritzo.

We can follow the flow of the Rio Pitzirimasa that gushes out from the tops of Ghenna e' Frores and goes down to flow into Rio Bauerì, where the nuragic village Idda Intr' errios is hidden with its secrets, under thick, musky stones.

Around 1900, in the area " Idda intr' errios", roman pieces and dishes were found. It is not more than 4 km from Tonara and it is attainable through an old path. But you can also approach the archaelogic area from the railway Station of Montecorte, not more than 1.5 km far from there.

Not distant from Idda intro Errios, in the resorts Gonnalè and Troccheri, some still visible traces of very old villages were found. More than 5000 years ago on the mountains of Tonara, the prehistoric communities of S.T. Michele of Ozieri lived and buried their corpses. Some ceramics and other findings belonging to the Neolithic that characterized the Sardinian prehistory for about 8 centuries from 3300 to 2480 B.C.,( but that also were later used in the ancient bronze, by the Bonnannaro people) were found in the north of the village, in a small funerary cave, as the Sardinian archaeologist and historic G. Lilliu says. Domus de janas are also present in Martì at about 500m from the village, on the side of Sa Codina. The hypogeic tomb of Martì, called “su forreddu 'e Gianas” is artificially digged inside a conglomerate of quartz. It shows dimples for votive offerings. Unfortunately we can't see the nuraghes anymore. About a quarter of an hour from the village, in the place called Perdas Lobadas, various archaeological findings and several pieces were found digging. Not far from the village, in the area called Santu Leo, traces of ancient walls were discovered. In the old district of Ilalà, deserted before the second world war, we can see the walls of the old houses. In the area of Toneri there are the ruins of the ancient church of Santa Anastasia. Along the roads of the village there is a sculpture of Pinuccio Sciola, in Su Toni we can see a sculpture called “ La Madonna dei Venti” realized by the artist Pier Giorgio Gomez. In Toneri the faded walls of the ancient houses with their old balconies and frames of wood, giving a sense of desolation and loneliness but also of fascination and suggestion. On the southern west side of Rio Pitzirimasa, in the woods, at 854 m above the sea level, rises Teliseri, the most characteristic district of Tonara.

Tonara is famous for two handicrafts the cowbells and the nou-gat. The nou-gat is prepared by several laboratories and small industries and sold in all the feasts of the island by pedlars. The quality of this sweet, made with the walnuts, the almonds or the hazelnuts is appreciated during the feast of Easter Monday. Faded the pastoral civilization, the commercial and craftsmen activities have taken place. Winter and summer tourism is developed . In the later years Tonara has become an important centre for the nearby villages.

In Tonara there are some sawmills with about twenty employees that work the chestnut wood.

The greatest activity tied to the exploitation of the wooded area, about the 80% of the whole town territory, is tied up to the reforestation. A true "culture of wood " has brought to the creation of the association Voluntary S'Alasi (150 volunteers) that above all preserves woods from fires.

Tonara is a small town where the Sardinian culture, habits and traditions are handed down almost intact; legends still remain, stories, that strike the imagination of those who listen to them. And still, up to a few decades ago, strange rituals were practised, among the sacred and the profane, such as "Su Ballu e s' Argia", a sort of collective dance, that was repeated to send away the curse of the Spider Argia, (the tarantula) whose puncture caused convulsions and often coma and death.

On Sundays and during holidays the women of Tonara still wear their beautiful costumes of red and black orbace with stupendous floral embroideries on the elegant shawl and on the delicious handkerchief.

Peppinu Mereu, the greatest poet in Sardinian language, whose poetries have been translated into English and Spanish, was born in Tonara.

The town has kept its old atmosphere until the last decades, with its houses tied up together by the great galleries of chestnut tree, the walls of stone scistosa, the colors that seem to remind the earth and the sky. About twenty years ago these characteristics were studied by Maria Luisa Lallai, from the Institute of Architecture of University of Engineering of Cagliari. She underlined the continuity among the built surfaces and the ground, realized with the use of the flakes stone as a building material and with the shapes and colors of the walls covered with clay and with the celestial panels to frame doors and windows as the only emergent elements. Of the ancient Tonara there still exist only rare fragments as the old House Porru, once a jail. In Tonara different demonstrations and country feasts are proposed every year.

A lot of these refer to the most ancient traditions. For example " Su Foghillone", on the 16 and 19 January, when wine, roast chestnuts and boiled broad beans are offered in all the squares. The feast of Sant' Antonio, in the homonymous square, on June 12 and 13. On 19 and 20 June it is the feast of the pedlars: in the Octave of Sant' Antonio, rembered by the calendar on june 13, they return to town in sign of professional solidarity and friendship. Near the small church of St. Giacomo, where a beautiful equipped area rises among the chestnut trees, on the last Sunday of July, it is the rural feast of St.Giacomo. The patronal feast of St. Gabriele is held on August 3, while the feast of Saint Maria is held on the 3^rd Sunday of August.