Rebeccu Medieval Village

Standing on a rocky ridge of Meilogu, Rebeccu dominates the plain of Santa Lucia, six kilometers from Bonorva, isolated and populated only by the legends that made it famous. Rebeccu is a medieval village with a prestigious past, almost uninhabited today, once the capital of the Curatoria of Costavalle and a strategic point on the border between the Giudicati of Arborea and Torres. A few stone houses, some restored, a small church and a desecrated graveyard make it both unsettling and evocative, especially in light of the stories surrounding it. The most famous concerns King Beccu, feudal lord of the village, and his daughter, Princess Donoria: believed to be a witch who was expelled from the village while her house was being destroyed by fire. Leaving it tied to a mule, he unleashed the “curse of the thirty houses”: Rebeccu would never have had more than thirty houses. According to some versions, even the father started his anathema, poisoning the numerous water sources in the area.During the Judgment period, the center had 400 inhabitants, then it began to depopulate from the 15th century. According to legend, the survivors of the curse founded Bonorva, while some of them, the boldest, tried to rebuild the village, being careful not to exceed thirty houses. However, history says that a Catalan detachment, arriving from Alghero in 1353, exterminated the population and burned the village, only to provoke the reaction of the Arborea Judicate. A few decades later, a peace treaty was signed between Eleonora d'Arborea and the King of Aragon in the church of Rebeccu. The importance that the center had in the Middle Ages has also given rise to another legend: it is here, in a castle that has now disappeared, that the marriage between the judge and Brancaleone Doria was said to have taken place. Between the cobbled streets and the houses, you will walk in absolute silence, breathing in a constantly evocative and mysterious atmosphere. It's no coincidence that the village has become a backdrop for movies and photo sets, and has hosted a film festival for decades.Source: sardegnaturismo.it/it/esplora/rebeccu