Mogorella, Protonuraghe Friarosu

The monument stands on a limestone plateau (420 m above sea level) delimited by the watershed of the Canadian river of Mogorella and the Funtana Bella river of Sant'Antonio Ruinas.
The nuraghe is of the “corridor” type. Subelliptical (m 21.00 NS axis x m 12.00 EO axis), it has a maximum residual height of m 5.00. The external wall covering, clearly readable only on the O-side with 7 rows, consists of blocks of decreasing dimensions upwards, little or no work and arranged in irregular rows.
The monument was supported, in the quadrant facing NE, by a body added by a curvilinear profile (m 7.50 in diameter), now reduced to a single row of blocks (maximum remaining height m 1/1.50).
The entrance to the monument (m 1.00 wide), facing SSO, is surmounted by a subrectangular lintel (m 2.20 x 0.70 x 0.60 deep) equipped with an exhaust window. The narrow and lengthy rear corridor (m 4.00 x 1.00 wide) has a tabular roof. Inside there are two rooms, A and B, with a subelliptical plan, arranged along the NS axis. Room A (m 6.50 x 4 wide), accessible through the aforementioned flat corridor, preserves part of the wall made up of flat slabs that are interposed with large rough blocks. Room B, which measures 6.00 x 4.00 m, has projecting walls and an intact truncated warhead cover (4.00 m high). A third room C, also with a subelliptical plan (m 5.30 x 2.40 wide), perhaps connected with compartment B. In the NNE wall, with its curvilinear shape, a window opens. It is likely that room C served as a hallway for the staircase that, with an elbow path, led to the upper floor.

History of studies
The monument has been known since the middle of the last century.

Bibliography
G. Lilliu, The Nuraghi: Prehistoric Towers of Sardinia, Cagliari, La Zattera, 1962, p. 31 ff.;
V. Santoni, “The Sign of Power”, in Nur: The Mysterious Civilization of the Sardinians, edited by D. Sanna, Milan, Cariplo, 1980, pp. 141-186; L. Manca Demurtas, “Mogorella (Oristano) Loc. Friarosu”, in I Sardi: Sardinia from the Paleolithic to the Nuraghi Age, Milan, Jaca Book, 1984, pp. 157-159; L. Manca Demurtas-S. Demurtas, “The protonuraghi (new data for the Oristano)”, in The Deya conference of prehistory. Early settlement in the western Mediterranean islands and their peripheral areas, II, Oxford, BAR, 1984, pp. 629-670;
G. Lilliu, The civilization of the Sardinians from the Paleolithic to the Age of the Nuraghi, Turin, Nuova ERI, 1988, pp. 184, 185, 516, fig. 51, table 26.

How to get there
From Villa Sant'Antonio you take the road to Ruinas. Shortly after the junction for Mogorella-Ruinas, continuing towards Ruinas, you can see Nuraghe Friarosu.