Prehistory The first human settlements in Gallura date back to approximately 30.000 years ago, when the first populations crossed the strait between
Tuscany and Sardinia. This historic period is known as the
Stone Age. Foreign populations colonize Gallura due to its numerous natural resources. Many people from the nearby island of Corsica came as well to Gallura during this historic period. The mid-late neolithic
Arzachena culture subsisted almost exclusively in this area, and here is found the remains of perhaps the oldest
megalith on Sardinia, at
Li Muri.
From Nuragic Prehistory to Antiquity The historic period that goes from 1700 BC to the Roman Age is also known in Sardinia as the
Nuragic Age. The particular name of this historic period takes after the
Nuraghes, the biggest megalithic edifices ever found in Europe, which still today represent a symbol for Sardinia. The
Phoenicians founded the (hence Punic) city of
Olbia (renamed in Greek, though), which was conquered by the Romans with all of Gallura in 238 BC.
The Judicate of Gallura During the
Middle Ages, Gallura was one of the four
Judicates, the four autonomous states into which Sardinia was divided under pope Alexander's assent.
Civita (which today is known as Olbia) was the capital of the Giudicato of Gallura and the (first) bishop's see. The
Judicate of Gallura included today's area of Gallura, the area surrounding the city of
Nuoro, and the area called
Baronias (Italian:
Baronie). It was occupied by the
republic of Pisa in 1288 after the fall of the last ruling judge
Nino Visconti.
Late Middle Ages till the eighteenth century At the end of the 13th century, the city of Civita (today's Olbia) takes the name of Terranova, a new settlement founded by the pisans near the site of the ancient Roman port of Olbia.
Pirates – primarily from
North Africa –
raided the coasts of Gallura and people moved consequently from there to the hinterland. The city of
Tempio became especially populated. Between 1300 and 1800 there was a big emigration of people from the nearby island of
Corsica to Gallura.
Corsicans deeply influenced the language and the culture of Gallura, which still today is considered quite different from the culture and the dialects of the rest of Sardinia. By the end of the 1700s people started to move from the hinterland to the coasts.
Nineteenth century, Twentieth century and today During the nineteenth century the
bishop's see was transferred from the city of Olbia to the city of Tempio, which also became a district's capital. stand at
Harrods in
Porto Cervo In the second half of the 20th century,
tourism increased greatly, especially in the areas of
Costa Smeralda,
Santa Teresa di Gallura and
San Teodoro. Today, Gallura has the highest capital income in all of Sardinia.
Ecclesiastical history The region's original Roman bishopric, the
Diocese of Fausania (P(h)ausania), founded no later than the 5th century (tradition says by the 3rd century saint Simplicius), of disputed location (
Olbia,
Tempio Pausania or Posano) perished under Byzantine rule, probably in the 8th century. It was restored under the name of Gallura in 1070, renamed Civita after its see (the medieval name of Olbia) and from 1506 held in personal union with the
Diocese of Ampurias, but no later than the 12th century a second bishopric was established, the
Diocese of Galtelli. == Demographics ==