Macomer ( sc, Macumère) is a town and ''

comune The (; plural: ) is a local administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions ('' regioni'') and provinces ('' province''). The can ...

'' of

Sardinia Sardinia ( ; it, Sardegna, label= Italian, Corsican and Tabarchino ; sc, Sardigna , sdc, Sardhigna; french: Sardaigne; sdn, Saldigna; ca, Sardenya, label= Algherese and Catalan) is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, af ...

(

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

) in the province of Nuoro. It is situated on the southern ascent to the central plateau (the Campeda) of this part of Sardinia, at the junction of narrow-gauge lines branching from the main railroad line running east to Nuoro and west to Bosa. The district, especially the Campeda, is well suited for grazing and horse and cattle breeding, which is carried on to a considerable extent.

History

Macomer, known to the Greek geographer

Ptolemy Claudius Ptolemy (; grc-gre, Πτολεμαῖος, ; la, Claudius Ptolemaeus; AD) was a mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, geographer, and music theorist, who wrote about a dozen scientific treatises, three of which were of import ...

as "Macopsissa," has been inhabited since antiquity. In 1478 was the scene of the historical battle between the Sardinians and the

Aragon Aragon ( , ; Spanish and an, Aragón ; ca, Aragó ) is an autonomous community in Spain, coextensive with the medieval Kingdom of Aragon. In northeastern Spain, the Aragonese autonomous community comprises three provinces (from north to so ...

ese, which ended the independence of

. In 1767, under the

Kingdom of Sardinia The Kingdom of Sardinia,The name of the state was originally Latin: , or when the kingdom was still considered to include Corsica. In Italian it is , in French , in Sardinian , and in Piedmontese . also referred to as the Kingdom of Savoy-S ...

, it became the capital of the Marquisate of Marghine. The Marquisate included the nearby villages of

Birori Birori ( sc, Bìroro) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Nuoro in the Italian region Sardinia, located about north of Cagliari and about west of Nuoro. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 586 and an area of .All demogra ...

, Bolotana, Borore,

Bortigali Bortigali ( sc, Bortigale) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Nuoro in the Italian region Sardinia, located about north of Cagliari and about west of Nuoro. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 1,502 and an area of .All ...

, Dualchi, Lei, Mulargia, Noragugume and Silanus. In 1949, a statue called ''The Venus of Macomer'' was discovered in a cave located in "Marras" area, in a gorge of the

river A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater Fresh water or freshwater is any naturally occurring liquid or frozen water containing low concentrations of dissolved salts and other total dissolved solids. Although the ...

S'Adde. The artifact depicts a Goddess Mother dating back to the Palaeolithic period. It is about high and was built with local

basalt Basalt (; ) is an aphanitic (fine-grained) extrusive igneous rock formed from the rapid cooling of low-viscosity lava rich in magnesium and iron (mafic lava) exposed at or very near the surface of a rocky planet or moon. More than 90% of a ...

. It is currently kept in the National Archaeological Museum of

Cagliari Cagliari (, also , , ; sc, Casteddu ; lat, Caralis) is an Italian municipality and the capital of the island of Sardinia, an autonomous region of Italy. Cagliari's Sardinian name ''Casteddu'' means ''castle''. It has about 155,000 inhabitan ...

. Nowadays, Macomer is a destination for tourists who want to admire the beautiful landscape around the city. Tamuli

Main sights

The region is richer in the bronze-age towers known as nuraghi than any other part of Sardinia. The old parish church of San Pantaleone has three Roman mile-stones in front of it, belonging to the Roman high-road from Carales to

Turris Libisonis Porto Torres ( sdc, Posthudorra, sc, Portu Turre) is a comune and a city of the Province of Sassari in north-west of Sardinia, Italy. Founded during the 1st century BC as ''Colonia Iulia Turris Libisonis'', it was the first Roman colony of the ...

. A modern road now follows the ancient one. Recently an ethnographic museum called "Le Arti Antiche" (The ancient Arts) has been opened, where it is possible to see tools traditionally used for agriculture and livestock, folk costumes, and photographs. The ''Monte di Sant'Antonio'' (St. Anthony's Mountain) has a great historical and naturalistic importance; on 13 June of every year the anniversary of the Saint of

Padua Padua ( ; it, Padova ; vec, Pàdova) is a city and ''comune'' in Veneto, northern Italy. Padua is on the river Bacchiglione, west of Venice. It is the capital of the province of Padua. It is also the economic and communications hub of t ...

is celebrated there.

References

{{Authority control Cities and towns in Sardinia