A walk through the abandoned village of Arridavu

The abandoned hamlet of Arìddavu was built on an archaeological site on the site of a prehistoric village, the foundations of which can still be seen.

The slopes around this flat area contain numerous rock shelters and remains of Bronze Age fortifications. The current hamlet only dates from the 19th century.

According to oral tradition,it was foundedby the Mari family. In 1870, the land register recorded 13 buildings and two bread ovens. The school had more than fifty pupils at the beginning of the 20th century, mainly the children of shepherds from the surrounding countryside. There was no church or cemetery in Arìddavu.

The dead were carried on men’s backs on the bara (mortuary board) to Ghjunchetu for burial.

The opening of the road below the village disrupted the old routes and created new needs.

What’s more, there was no nearby spring. The women went to Santu Pultru to fetch water. Arìddavu was gradually deserted at the dawn of the 2nd World War. In 1936, the schoolteacher, who was the only resident at the time, left the village for good.