Balaiana Castle

The Balaiana Castle is situated on Mount San Leonardo, at 299 metres above sea level, dominating the surrounding valley. You can walk through a staircase carved between granite rocks where the start path is located in the parking area, just 5 km from the village, on the road to Arzachena. The castle's unique architecture, with features such as the special interlocking blocks of granite corners, dates back to the 12th century. The castle was destroyed by the army of Alfonso of Aragon, who had razed the structure almost completely to the ground in 1442. It was home to the oldest judges of Gallura, including Torchitorio de Zori(1113); Constantine II (Spanu) Judge of Gallura (1116); Comita Spanu (1116-1113). The small church dedicated to San Leonardo (abbot of Noblac) was built as a chapel of the castle and is a rare example of Romanesque architecture in Gallura. The chapel can be reached via a path just a few dozen metres north of the Castle. The similarity between the churches in Corsica suggests that in the second half of the 12th century there was a shift between the islands of the Mediterranean and the manufacturers who used the granite stone.