La Nuova Sardegna

«Muros is a village in which the quality of life is really high. A village that has developed on a human scale whose strategic location, the goodness of the wine products, the industrial area together with the numerous cultural and environmental sites make it a place not only to visit, but to live in». Mayor Federico Tolu in these words takes a snapshot of his town, rich in history, scenic, artistic and archaeological beauty. In the recent past, the small town located on the edge of the Coros territory has been the subject of studies and insights into its origins. Of considerable interest are the documents collected by Donatella Rita Fiorino on the proceedings of the conference “Territory and heritage, to know in order to value”. On the history of Muros it is known that it dates back to the time of the Giudicati and its events follow the great stages of the history of Sardinia and its dominations. The Aragonese, lords during the 14th century, gave way, starting in the mid-17th century, to the Martinez marquises of Montemuros, to whom is linked the urban growth of the small town and its monumental buildings, in particular the parish church of Saints Gavino, Proto and Gianuario with the singularity of being one of the last to be named after the Turritan martyrs and built on a Greek cross plan. The town, built in a strategic geographic position on the natural gorge carved out by the Mascari stream, dominates its territory as far as the eye is closed by the rugged slopes of Scala di Giocca and Mount Tudurighe where, immersed in a forest of holm oaks, is the Grotta dell'inferno (Hell Cave), which stretches 220 meters in length and in which there is one of the largest colonies of bats in all of Italy. The rolling and changing landscape offers the possibility of interesting walks in the countryside, where unspoiled nature and man-made environment meet in an inseparable cultural union. These are routes between landscape and archaeology; the history of this corner of Sardinia emerges from the domus de janas of Rocca Ruja, the tombs of giants of Mount Simeone, the nuraghi of Sa Turricula and Santu Giorzi, the hypogea of Badde Irvos and the remains of the medieval village of Irbosa and the church of San Leonardo. Famous is the peak of Cane e Chervu from which the bandit Giovanni Tolu, jumped on the run from the carabinieri and where now some specimens of golden eagle, now settled, have found a home. The steep limestone walls, instead, offer exciting trekking routes for those who wish to try their hand at challenging mountain trails or explore the rocky ravines and deep geological gorges of the many limestone walls. But the link between the environment and man is, as is often the case, water. There are numerous springs scattered throughout the territory, and even within the village, this link is strongly marked by the presence of the monumental fountain, built in the second half of the 19th century to supply water to the population.