“The downy oak (Quercus pubescens) is the most widespread species of oak in Italy, so much so that in many localities it is simply called oak…The largest one, however, seems to be in Sardinia in Illorai (in the locality of Sa Melabrina): its dimensions are 8.80 metres in circumference and 24 metres in height, with an age of several thousand years…” (from Wikipedia)
A few hundred metres from this botanical ‘patriarch’, immersed in the beautiful forest of Monte Artu, and about 7 km from Illorai, stands another jewel of the area: the nuraghe Pattada ‘e Chelvos.
A fairly well-preserved monolith, built of freshly hewn trachyte blocks. The entrance, surmounted by a mighty lintel of about 2 m, leads to a corridor covered with slabs and then to the circular chamber.
The photos of the nuraghe ‘Pattada ‘e Chelvos’ and the roverella ‘Sa Melabrina’ are by Giovanni Sotgiu.
