Nurra is the name given to the stretch of land in northwestern Sardinia that corresponds to the northern part of the province of Sassari, encompassing the towns of Sassari, Porto Torres, Alghero, and Stintino. It is a green, predominantly flat landscape, yet punctuated by sudden hills rising from the sea and featuring magnificent coastal lagoons—reminders that, little more than a century ago, this was a malaria-ridden territory.
Successive rulers of these lands transformed and exploited them through silver and coal mining, sand quarries, agriculture and livestock farming, and later, industrial plants and power generation facilities. All these activities left their mark on the landscape, including the salt pans that operated near the Stintino lagoons from the Middle Ages until the early twentieth century, when they were finally abandoned.
In the morning, the lagoons and salt-production pools take on the colors of the sky and sunlight, while daily life carries on all around. It is a magical moment—especially on days like this, when the sun struggles to break through the clouds and the ruins of the salt-making facilities stand out against the silence of the winter sea.
