Monte d’Accoddi

Monte d’Accoddi is a prehistoric sanctuary in the Nurra, just a few kilometres from Sassari. Its large terraced altar with a long access ramp is unique in Sardinian archaeology and reflects ritual practices that developed between the Neolithic and Copper Age.

The complex is dominated by a large raised rectangular platform reached by a long ramp. Its terraced form and carefully organised space make Monte d’Accoddi very different from the nuraghi and other archaeological monuments more commonly associated with Sardinia.

Excavations have shown that the great altar incorporates earlier structures. Among them is a previous sanctuary known as the Red Temple because of traces of coloured plaster. The site was used through several phases, from the Neolithic into the Early Bronze Age.

Around the main monument are the remains of huts, offering slabs, a large menhir, stones with carved hollows and other features that form a broader ritual landscape. Together they help explain the relationship between daily life, worship and funerary memory.

Its proximity to Sassari makes Monte d’Accoddi easy to include in a north-west Sardinia itinerary. It can be combined with Sassari’s historic centre, Porto Torres and other sites in the Nurra for a day focused on the island’s earliest history.