The Giara of Gesturi


Some historians attribute the origins of the name 'Giara' to a specific place where horses roam wild, maintaining that it is a derivation of the Aragonese word HARAS (herd).
The Giara of Gesturi covers an area of approx. 45 sq. km. and stands at an average altitude of 500 m.
The plateau forms some deep hollows where water from the heavy rains during the winter seasons accumulates, forming marshes, called Paulis.
The Giara is formed by basalt rock and its rich vegetation provides excellent pasture for the herds of wild ponies.

In the more sheltered areas there are durmast trees, holm-oak and fig plants, whilst the undergrowth is made up of strawberry plants, wild prune and pear trees, cistus and lentisk trees, hawthorn, myrtle, ferula and asphodel bushes. The lower lying land, where water accumulates, presents typical marshland vegetation.

However, the Giara is above all famous for its wild ponies, which roam freely, perfectly integrated into the natural environment. These ponies are distinguishable because of their dark manes and almond-shaped eyes.
The Giara ponies were first brought to the island in the Nuragic times and today there are more than 750.