Posada ( la, Pheronia, sc, Pasada), also previously known as ''

Feronia Feronia may mean: * Feronia (mythology), a goddess of fertility in Roman and Etruscan mythology * ''Feronia'' (plant), a genus of plants * Feronia Inc., a plantations company operating in the Democratic Republic of the Congo * Feronia (Sardinia) ...

'' or ''Pausata'', is a ''

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 also ...

'' (municipality) in the

Province of Nuoro The province of Nuoro ( it, provincia di Nuoro; sc, provìntzia de Nùgoro) is a province in the autonomous island region of Sardinia, Italy. Its capital is the city of Nuoro. It has an area of , and, , a total population of 210,972. The provinc ...

in the

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

region

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, after ...

. The city sits on the coast of the

Tyrrhenian Sea The Tyrrhenian Sea (; it, Mar Tirreno , french: Mer Tyrrhénienne , sc, Mare Tirrenu, co, Mari Tirrenu, scn, Mari Tirrenu, nap, Mare Tirreno) is part of the Mediterranean Sea off the western coast of Italy. It is named for the Tyrrhenian pe ...

. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 2,394 and an area of .All demographics and other statistics: Italian statistical institute

Istat The Italian National Institute of Statistics ( it, Istituto nazionale di statistica; Istat) is the main producer of official statistics in Italy. Its activities include the census of population, economic censuses and a number of social, economic ...

. Posada borders the following municipalities:

Budoni Budoni (Gallurese: ''Budùni'', sc, Budùne) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Sassari in the Italian region Sardinia, located about northeast of Cagliari and about southeast of Olbia. As of 31 December 2014, it had a population ...

Siniscola Siniscola (; sc, Thiniscòle ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the province of Nuoro in the Italian region Sardinia, located about northeast of Cagliari and about northeast of Nuoro. Siniscola borders the following municipalities: Irgoli, L ...

and

Torpè Torpè ( sc, Torpè) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Nuoro in the Italian region Sardinia, located about northeast of Cagliari and about northeast of Nuoro. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 2,757 and an area of .A ...

History

Within Posada's territory was the ancient city of

or Pheronia, the foundation of which is ascribed to the

Faliscans Falisci ( grc, Φαλίσκοι, ''Phaliskoi'') is the ancient Roman exonym for an Italic tribe who lived in what is now northern Lazio, on the Etruscan side of the Tiber River. They spoke an Italic language, Faliscan, closely akin to Latin. Or ...

, which contained a now lost temple to the Etruscan goddess

. During the

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...

period, the town's importance declined with the foundation of nearby Portus Luguidonis. In the Middle Ages, Posada was main town of an historical district called ''Baronia di Posada'' or ''Baronia Alta'' (to be distinguished from Baronia Bassa or Baronia di Orosei/Galtelli'), on the Tyrrhenian coast of the island. The ancient part of the town is in a spectacular position on the top of a hill, where it preserves a particular

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the Post-classical, post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with t ...

historical center, with ruins of a

castle A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...

(Castello della Fava) and a square panoramic tower of the 13th century. The castle has been the equivalent of a holiday residence for the ''Giudichessa''

Eleanor of Arborea Eleanor of Arborea or Eleanor De Serra Bas ( Sardinian: Elianora de Arbarée / Elianora De Serra Bas, Italian: Eleonora d'Arborea / Eleonora De Serra Bas; 1347— June 1404) was one of the most powerful and important, and one of the last, judges ...

, and was object of alternate possession by the Giudicato d'Arborea 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 sou ...

, during the long fight before the Spanish conquest. The castle became then the seat of the Baron of Posada, a title and a

fief A fief (; la, feudum) was a central element in medieval contracts based on feudal law. It consisted of a form of property holding or other rights granted by an Lord, overlord to a vassal, who held it in fealty or "in fee" in return for a for ...

created in 1431 for Don Nicolò Carroz and formally ended in 1856, when it was finally bought by 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 ...

(the last one of all Sardinian fiefs).

Economy

Tourism in Posada is the main economic activity.

References

External links

Official regional website in Italian

Tourist information for Sardinia

Photo from Posada
{{Sardinia-geo-stub