Village in Baronia, northeastern Sardinia, perched on a cliff and dominated by a castle, at its foot a green valley that flows into the turquoise sea

It perches on a limestone hill, topped by a castle, from the top of which you will observe a splendid panorama. Posada, a village of three thousand inhabitants included in the club of the most beautiful villages in Italy, is one of the most evocative places on the island for its history, culture and landscapes. At the foot of the village stretches the valley of the Posada River (to be ascended by kayak), ideal for nature and archaeology lovers. The damming of the river creates Lake Maccheronis: around it mountain bike routes, in the background Montalbo. We are in Tepilora Park, one of the largest and most beautiful green areas on the island with trails that meander through forests, springs, lagoons and sand dunes, ideal for hiking, biking and horseback riding. You can go birdwatching in the San Giovanni pond, populated by black-winged stilts and pink flamingos, or, next door, relax at the beach of the same name, the ‘pearl’ of a coastal stretch awarded the Five Blue Sails each year. Also not to be missed are the beaches of su Tiriarzu, Iscraios and Orvile.

Rising from the ashes of the Phoenician Feronia (the name of an Etruscan goddess), Posada is one of the oldest Sardinian centers: it may have been an Italic-Etruscan settlement (5th-4th centuries BC). The major artifact from that period is a statuette of Hercules. In Roman times everything revolved around the portus Liquidonis, present-day San Giovanni di Posada, a seaside hamlet dominated by an Aragonese tower. The Latin place-name Pausata embodies its destiny: it was a stopover station and frontier place. Pope Urban II first mentioned Posada in official documents in 1095, in the Judicial age: the center was at the height of its history, a border between the giudicati of Gallura and Arborea, which disputed its possession for a long time, with Aragonese incursions. Dominating the village since the 13th century was the castle of the Fava: it was perhaps an ante litteram tourist residence of the judges, including Eleonora d’Arborea. You can visit the fortress by climbing the hill : you will admire the tower and the ruins of the walls. It owes its name to a legend, which tells of the siege by a Turkish fleet and the deception ‘engineered’ by the posadini who made a pigeon eat the last handful of broad beans, inducing the invaders to overestimate their resources. The reality does not differ: from the 14th century Posada was ‘victim’ of raids by Saracen pirates, who eyeballed it from the sea as treasure. Today it retains its medieval charm: it is a ‘stone labyrinth’ with intricate alleys, steep stairways, arches and unexpected little squares, smelling of escapes and reprisals. The parish church of St. Anthony Abbot stands out in the center, and was rebuilt in the 17th century on a 1324 layout: celebrations in honor of the patron saint are in mid-January, with huge bonfires, processions and cake tastings(cogoneddos and aranzada). The most heartfelt celebrations are for Our Lady of Relief, the first Sunday after Easter.