Sardinia · Nuoro
Posada
The capital of the Baronia, a 3,000-person village on a 71-meter rock with a 13th-century tower over the valley.
- Best time
- May–Oct
- By car
- 3 h 31 min from Cagliari
- Population
- 3,019
Known for
CASTELLO DELLA FAVA
Thirteenth-century tower on a rock above the Rio Posada, residence of Eleanor of Arborea and seat of the Carroz barons.
RIO POSADA
The river that runs from the Tepilora hills to the Tyrrhenian, with dunes and beaches at the village mouth.
BARONIA CAPITAL
Historic capital of the Baronia, the eastern coastal region of the Nuorese, and a member of the Borghi più belli d'Italia.
When to visit
Best · May–Oct
- J13°
- F15°
- M16°
- A18°
- M22°
- J28°
- J32°
- A31°
- S27°
- O23°
- N18°
- D15°
- Best
- Hot or crowded
- Quiet
- Mostly closed
Daytime averages, 2020–2024. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com.
The festa: Antonio abate, 17 January
Why come
The village center sits, below the rock the castle occupies above the plain. The castle served as a holiday residence for Eleanor of Arborea and was fought over between the Giudicato of Arborea and Aragon. In title it became the seat of the Baron of Posada, a Carroz fief created in 1431 and formally ended in 1856.
From the tower the view runs down the valley to the dunes and beaches below and out to the Tyrrhenian. The walled village is small, stacked along a single climbing street beneath the keep, with the parish church as its religious center. Inland, the Parco Naturale Regionale di Tepilora, declared in 2014, covers the upper watershed and the oak forest that feeds the river below. Coast and interior, castle and church, park and plain: the whole place reads as one drainage, from the Tepilora hills down through the village to the sea.
The Sunday letter
Posada is on our list. Its letter is still to come.
We are writing about all 1,000 of these towns, one at a time, in a free letter every Sunday: the photo, the food, the festa. That is our mission. Sign up and you will be there when Posada comes up. By Peter & Sophia, from Pietrasanta.
How to get there
From Cagliari (CAG), about 3h 44m by car.
What to see
Castello della Fava
The square tower stands on its rock over the valley, named for a legend involving Saracen besiegers and a sack of beans.
Centro storico
Stone village stacked along a single climbing street below the castle, member of the Borghi più belli d'Italia.
Chiesa di Sant'Antonio Abate
Parish church of Posada, the religious center of the medieval village below the castle keep.
Foce del Rio Posada
The river mouth and dune system sit at San Giovanni di Posada, a few kilometers below the castle, with the Tyrrhenian coast beyond.
Parco Naturale di Tepilora
Regional park declared in 2014, inland from Posada, covering oak forest and the upper watershed of the river.
The slow-trip planner
Building a trip? Find where Posada fits in a slow Italy circuit.
Answer five questions. We will shape a geographically coherent slow trip from the 1,000 Italian towns most travelers skip. Yours to save and share.
Living here
- Population 3,019
- In-betweeni
- Pharmacy in town
- High school within a 30-minute drive
- Nearest airport Cagliari, 3 h 44 min drive
- Regional capital Cagliari, 3 h 32 min drive
Common questions
- What is Posada known for?
- Posada is the capital of the Baronia, a 3,000-person village on a 71-meter rock with a 13th-century tower over the valley.
- Where is Posada?
- Posada is a comune in the province of Nuoro, in Sardinia, at 37 meters above sea level.
- What is the nearest airport to Posada?
- Cagliari (CAG), about 3h 44m by car.
- When is the best time to visit Posada?
- Best in May–Oct. July is the warmest month, averaging 32 degrees, and November the wettest, with about 9 rain days.
- Is there a sagra or a festival in Posada?
- The town keeps its patron saint's day: Antonio abate, 17 January.
- Which other towns are like Posada?
- Palau, Santa Teresa Gallura and Castelsardo.
- How many people live in Posada?
- 3,019 at the 2023 count.
Tags & datadesignations · numbers · sources
Recognised as
The numbers
- Elevation: 37 m
- Population: 3,019
- Surface area: 32.77 km²
These figures were compiled from public directories: ISTAT, OpenStreetMap and Wikidata, and from the official listings of the guides named on this page. Town details change; verify with official sources before you travel.
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