Badde Olia

Badde Olia is a narrow valley located on the border with the territory of Sassari, engraved by the homonymous watercourse, the Badde Olia rio, which flows to the slopes of Monte Fenosu, between 150 and 250 meters above sea level.

The landscape is characterized by two distinct slopes:

• Southeast → Rocky constituencies of myocenic origin.
• Northwest → Mediterranean Macchia and Evergreen Woods. These environments, separated by a stream, create a diversified ecosystem, rich in flora and fauna.

The Origin of Name:

The name Badde Olia is a phytonymous, a name derived from a plant species characteristic of the area. In this case, the identification element is the olive tree, which gave rise to the name “Valle dell’Olivo”.

The Scardaccione (Dipsacus fullonum L.)

• Family: Dipsacaceae
• Height: From 1 to 3 meters
• Features: Biennial plant, with dense and spiny leaves, especially along the central rib.

The inflorescence, which develops between May and August, is characterized by a spiny ovoidal capolin, formed by numerous lilac corollas.

This species grows throughout Italy, preferring humid and shady places near the vineyards, but also adapts to uncultivated soils, rubble and ruins, up to 1400 meters of altitude.

In the territory of Muros, wild scarves are quite rare and is often confused with the most common Scardaccione Spinosissimo (Dipsacus ferox Loisel).

Il Miliario Romano di Scala di Giocca

In 1823, at the bridge on the Bunnari rio, at the entrance of the ascent of Scala di Giocca, a Roman miliary was found, today preserved at the Museo Sanna di Sassari.

It is a road signal engraved on a limestone cluster, indicating the distance of sixteen miles from the ancient Turris Libisonis (Porto Torres). The inscription documents that it was placed between 67 and 68 AD along the road connecting Turris Libisonis to Karales (Cagliari).

It is not excluded that even the restored bridge can be of Roman origin. Beyond the bridge, already in the Sassarese territory, there is a ruined building that once housed a gualchiera, a plant for the production of the cloth managed by the younger friars, as evidenced by a Franciscan coat of arms dated 1727.

The Arenacean limestone: The Geology of the Territory

The site is characterized by the presence of sandstone limestone, a clastic sedimentary rock belonging to the family of carbonatic rocks.

These rocks, of yellowish colouration, are characterized by pseudostratifications, due to the presence of more or less tender carbonate levels.

The sandstone limestone is formed by mechanical destruction of pre-existing calcareous rocks, with subsequent deposition in marine environment.

In the territory of Muros, it is mainly diffused to the base or intercalated in the compact organogenic limestone, contributing to the geological variety of the area.