The archaeological area is located on a basaltic base of the Gollei plateau, in the Baronies, a region on the coast and the island.
The complex, one of the most important and best preserved in Nuragic Sardinia, includes a village-sanctuary with about one hundred huts, two small temples with adjoining fences and two megalithic burials.
The village consists of isolated huts and aggregates of huts gravitating to central spaces. There are six clusters, some equipped with tank wells and wells connected to water pipes. The huts, circular, are made of dry stone with irregular rows of freshly sketched basalt stones.
One of these is the 'meeting hut'. It has a slightly crushed floor (6.80 x 7.00 m) and is preceded by a vestibule delimited by two curved walls built with orthostatic slabs. Outside the jamb d. there is a stone with a hemispherical cavity (width 0.40 m).
The entrance, facing N/E, is equipped with threshold stone (width 0.96 m; depth 1.98-1.30 m; height 2.00 m); the room is built with large orthostats surmounted by rows of freshly sketched stones. A bench seat runs along the perimeter of the wall (depth 0.62/0.70 m; height 0.26 m).
Two sacred buildings, of the type in 'antis' or 'megaron', characterize the town as a sanctuary-village.
The first chapel, spaced apart from the village, is built inside a large elliptical enclosure (50.20 x 42.50 m) probably intended to host pilgrims, but also market activities, competitions and games, during religious solemnities. A high arched entrance (width 0.80 m), preceded by a vestibule delimited by two curved walls (depth 6.00 m; width 4.20/3.00 m), allows you to enter it.
Inside the enclosure, to the right of the entrance, there is the rectangular sacellum (length 8.36 m; width 4.56/4.40 m), of which only the base remains, with an entrance trumped in E-S/E (width m 1.40/0.70); it is preceded by a small quadrangular vestibule created by the extension of the side walls (length 1.24-1.26 m) and equipped with a bench seat. The side walls also extend into the rear wall (length 0.75-0.70 m).
The quadrangular inner chamber (depth 4.18 m; width 2.50/2.64 m; residual height 0.80 m), still has the bench-seat at the base of the walls (width 0.70-0.44 m) and a fireplace in the center of the floor.
The second chapel, larger and well preserved, is built inside a smaller enclosure on the S/E edge of the village. In front of the entrance to the enclosure, a large space free of huts (30 x 15 m) opens up, which seems to form a real “sacred road”.
The fence, with an irregular rectangular shape (m 19 x 12), has, in front of the temple, a sort of patio with entrance (width m 1.60) to a small semicircular room (m 4.80 x 3.20) with a low floor dug into the natural rock, perhaps intended for collecting water. The room is accessible from the outside through a second entrance (width 0.80 m; height 1.10 m) that opens to N/E.
The curvilinear south wall of the courtyard surrounds the room, delimiting a sort of corridor (width 2.00-0.98 m).
The chapel is built with regular rows of rough basaltic boulders. It is rectangular (length m 10.20; width m 5.26/4.50; residual height m 2.10/1.70) and faces S/E; it has a hemicycle-shaped rear view wall (cord m 3.20; arrow m 1.70).
The cell is preceded by a vestibule created by the extension of the side walls (width 2.00 m; depth 1.60 m) and equipped with a bench-seat. From the vestibule, an arched entrance (width 0.74 m; depth 1.00 m) perhaps restored leads to the trapezoidal chamber (length 5.10 m; width 2.68-2.32 m) with count-seat (prof. m 0.38/0.41; height 0.42/0.36 m) and paved floor.
As the excavation data attest, the sanctuary-village was frequented from the end of the ancient Bronze Age, throughout the Middle Bronze Age and, with greater intensity, in the recent and final Bronze.

History of excavations
The area was excavated in 1936-1938 by Doro Levi. In 1961 Guglielmo Maetzke directed restoration work. Since 1986, work has been underway by Maria Ausilia Fadda.

Bibliography
D. Levi, “Excavations and Archaeological Research by the Royal Superintendence for Works of Antiquity and Art of Sardinia (1935-1937)”, in Bollettino d'Arte, 1937, pp. 199 ff.; Dorgali.
Archaeological documents, Sassari, Chiarella, 1980, pp. 109-113, 115-140;
M.A. Fadda, “Dorgali (NU). Nuragic village of Serra Orrios”, in Homage to Doro Levi, Ozieri, 1994, pp. 85-89;
A. Moravetti, Serra Orrios and the archaeological monuments of Dorgali. Sassari, C. Delfino, 1998 (Archaeological Sardinia. Guides and itineraries; 26).

How to get there
From Nuoro, take the SS 129 and proceed in the direction of Orosei. After 19 km, turn to Dorgali and continue for another 3 km, until you find, on the s., the parking area with ticket office (marked by a tourist sign) and the entrance to the path that leads, after about 600 m, to the Nuragic village.