In the countryside, on a plateau a few hundred meters from the villages of Sorso and Sennori, there was a medieval village.
Today we can visit the remains, brought to light by recent excavations.
The area is panoramic and the view opens across the hills. With good weather, you can observe the plain between Sassari and Porto Torres and the sea in the Gulf of Asinara in the distance.
During our visit, unfortunately, the weather is cloudy, but this is not a big problem for a short nature walk.
The medieval village
The exact date of foundation of the village of Geridu is not known. In any case it was before the beginning of the 12th century. In the 14th century, Geridu had over 1200 inhabitants and was the main center of this area (Romangia). Sorso and Sennori were decidedly less populous at the time. The village was abandoned starting from the first half of the 15th century.
The finds, including pottery and coins, are presented in the Biddas Museum of Sorso. There you can discover this medieval center, the theater of an open and flourishing economy.
We access the village area from a small country road. Among the meadows, we can observe the foundations of the stone houses that made up the village, which probably extended for almost 10 hectares.
Walking slightly uphill towards the south, we reach the ruins of thick walls, belonging to the ancient church of Sant’Andrea; it was part of the village in the Middle Ages and then demolished during the 19th century to recover building materials, to be used for the church of San Pantaleo (Sorso).
Sant’Andrea cave
On a hilltop, a short distance from the ruins of the church of Sant’Andrea, we observe the cave.
Over the last few years, this natural cave has become very evocative during the Christmas period, as an illuminated nativity scene is set up inside.
