Ballao


Population: approx. 1100

The town is situated at the bottom of a valley characterised by the broad bend of the Flumendosa River and its largest tributary,
Rio Stanali.

Ballao was a Roman settlement and probably designed as a fortified emplacement for defensive purposes against the raids of the Gallilensi, the bellicose inhabitants of Gerrei.

Visitors must not miss the Corti Rosas antimony mine, now in disuse, where they can view the miners' lodgings, the washery, where the extracted
mineral was rinsed, the explosives deposit and some
of the instruments which were used for the
processing of the minerals.

The sacred well of "Funtana Coberta", dating back about 2000 years to the Nuragic era, is also of great historic and archaeological interest.
The beaches of the Sarrabus district are just a few minutes' drive from Ballao.