During the Romanisation of Sardinia (from 238 B.C.), Gallura was inhabited by the Balari and Corsican people, populations that made conquering it very difficult. According to some scholars, the former would have given the area its name of Balariana (Balaiana) Luogosanto, while the latter - probably originating from Corsica - were located in the northernmost part of the region.

Fig. 1 - Non-urbanised populations of Sardinia (from Mastino 2005 p. 307, fig. 35).

Nevertheless, the presence of a road network dating back to Roman times (fig. 2) - as in the case of the traces of a paved road identified in Lo Sfossato in Luogosanto - confirms the penetration of the invaders: it made communication possible between towns, even if isolated.

Fig. 2 - Calangianus, Monti Nieddu: stretch of paved road attributed to Roman times (from PINNA 2008, p. 56).

In the territory of the Municipality of Gallura, the evidence from Roman times leads back to a single site: various architectural elements and stretches of walls were found in the village of Stazzo (Farmhouse) Tresserri (fig. 3) attributable to a place of worship and some stelae, all dating back to the Roman imperial period (first century B.C. to fifth A.D.).

Fig. 3 - Ortho-photo indicating Stazzo Tresserri (Graphic reconstruction by F. Collu).