Gallura

Gallura (Gaddura or Gaddhura ɡaˈɖːura; Caddura kaˈɖːuɾa) is a region in North-Eastern Sardinia, Italy. The name Gallùra is allegedly supposed to mean "stony area". Gallùra has a surface of and it is situated between 40°55'20"64 latitude north and 09°29'11"76 east longitude. It is 187 kilometers from the Italian peninsula and 11 kilometers from the French island of Corsica. The coast of Gallura is very jagged and continues along in a continuous series of small fiords, rock-cliffs and little islands that form the archipelago of La Maddalena, a natural bridge towards nearby Corsica. The landscape is characterised by granite rocks and harsh mountains that, even if not particularly high, have constituted for millennia a barrier between this region and the nearby territories of Baronie and Montalbo. Monte Limbara is the highest mountain (1,362 m/4,469 ft). It represents the boundary between Gallura and the nearby region called Logudoro. Its highest peak is Punta Balestrieri (1362 m above the sea level). In the past, Monte Limbara used to be the location of an important NATO long range radar base and a Carabinieri’s barrack. Today it is used as a telecommunications center for the Italian Air Force and a heliport for the Servizio Antincendi. It is also the location of all the major TV relay stations of West Sardinia. Another small mountain is Monte Cruzitta (666 m). Even if it is not very high, it offers a very characteristic landscape. The climate is typical of the Mediterranean. The weather is clear. During the year approximately 300 days are sunny and the few others are rainy, with a major concentration of rainfall in the winter and autumn, some heavy showers in the spring, and snowfalls on the highest massifs and highlands. The mistral is the dominant wind, fresh, strong, and usually dry and cold, blowing from the northwest throughout the year, but most frequently in winter and spring. The first human settlements in Gallura date back to approximately 30.000 years ago, when the first populations crossed the strait between Tuscany and Sardinia.