Ittireddu, Nuraghe Funtana

The monument is located in the town of Sa Tanca 'e Sa Funtana, in Monte Acuto, a region of northern Sardinia.
The nuraghe is of a complex type, consisting of a central tower to which a bastion with two secondary towers that enclose a central courtyard has been placed on the front - with total remodeling of the structure.
The main tower (diameter 18.00 m) has the entrance oriented to SE (width 0.80-1.20 m) surmounted by an lintel with an exhaust window.
The entrance leads into a gate (length 4.20 m; width 1.20/1.40 m; height 2.20/3.55 m) with a flat roof that rises about halfway up the route in correspondence with the facing entrances of an annular corridor. The slabs rest, in particular, on numerous fragments of cork used to regulate the installation surface.
The corridor leads, through an arched door (height 2.20 m), into the circular chamber (diameter 4.25 m; height 6.20 m), built with boulders just sketched and arranged in irregular rows with the use of wedges and mud mortar.
There were two floors in the room. The roof of the room on the ground floor had to consist of a wooden ceiling placed on a rig (depth 0.50 m) saved at a height of 5.10 m along the entire profile of the environment. The access to the upper floor can still be clearly identified on the SE side, where the traces of the jambs of an entrance remain.
On the walls of the lower chamber there are the entrances to three niches arranged in a cross: the first was partially walled up with square blocks, perhaps to be used as a well.
The open niche on the entrance axis (depth 2.70 m; width 1.30/5.50 m; height 2.22 m) - architraved and with an exhaust window - has a curved “T” plan that follows the evolution of the outer wall of the tower.
Along the entire perimeter of the wall, there is a bench-seat of 28 truncated pyramidal blocks (height 0.25 m).
On the floor, in a slightly decentralized position, there is a fireplace consisting of seven wedge-shaped ashlars (diam. m 0.95).
The original single-tower system was expanded with the addition of two towers, according to the front addition scheme, so as to delimit a small quadrangular courtyard (m 5.20 x 2.20) in front of the entrance to the central tower. The latter was completely rewrapped by a powerful curtain wall.
The access to the keep opens onto one of the side towers, the one located on the NE side: the rectangular entrance leads into a short trumpet (length 1.50 m), and from this into the compartment of the secondary tower (diam. m 6.20; height 2.60 m) that flows directly into the courtyard.
The secondary S-shaped tower, also connected to the courtyard through a short arched corridor, is only partially preserved.
On the N wall of the courtyard there are the remains of a staircase that, with 12 residual steps, led to the upper compartment of the NE tower, of which few traces are preserved.
The beam wall connects to the wall structures of the two towers at a well-defined angle.
The nuraghe dates back to 1400-1000 BC.

History of excavations
The building was excavated in 1983 and 1985 by Francesca Galli.

Bibliography
A. Taramelli, "Foglio 193: Bonorva" in Edizione archeologica della carta d'Italia al 100.000, Firenze, Istituto geografico militare, 1940, p. 10, n. 12;
F. Galli, Archeologia del territorio: il Comune di Ittireddu (Sassari), collana, "Quaderni della Soprintendenza ai beni archeologici per le province di Sassari e Nuoro", 14, Sassari, Chiarella, 1983, pp. 28-29, tavv. XXV, LIX, figg. 1-2, 1;
F. Galli, "Scavi nel nuraghe Funtana di Ittireddu (Sassari)", in Nuovo bullettino archeologico sardo, 1, 1984, pp. 115-122;
F. Galli, "Nota preliminare alla III e IV campagna di scavo al nuraghe Funtana (Ittireddu-Sassari)", in Nuovo bullettino archeologico sardo, 2, 1985, pp. 87-108;
F. Galli, Ittireddu (Sassari). Nuraghe Funtana, in Nuovo Bullettino Archeologico Sardo, III, 1986 (1990), pp. 302-303;
F. Galli, Ittireddu: il museo e il territorio, collana "Sardegna archeologica. Guide e itinerari", 14, Sassari, Carlo Delfino, 1991, pp. 34-36, figg. 9, 26-27.

How to get there
Leave the town of Ittireddu and take the municipal road that, passing through Funtana 'e Josso, crosses the Calarighes River.