Its singular, almost unique, peculiarity is that the three Nuragic towers and the remains of the surrounding huts are found precisely in the historic centre of the current village. This is the irrefutable proof that Uri - at the heart of Coros, a sub-region of Logudoro, halfway between Alghero and Sassari, famous for its excellent agricultural-food products such as olive oil and artichokes - has a history dating back some four thousand years. This occurrence began with the settlement of Santa Cadrina (Saint Caterina in Logudorese dialect), around which the urban fabric arose, without interruption, through to the present day. It is an extraordinary example of longevity, documented not only by the pre-Nuragic and Nuragic ruins, but also by the remains of Roman and medieval walls, two wells, a millstone, along with stone and ceramic finds that embrace various eras, in particular the Roman imperial and Byzantine.
The Nuraghe of Santa Cadrina, incorporated into the ‘heart’ of Uri on a small hill overlooking the valley of the Carrabusu stream, is now surrounded by a terraced park covered with fruit trees, herbs and Mediterranean scrub. It is a complex structure, composed of the keep (central tower) with a diameter of almost 12 metres and two secondary towers bearing a diameter of 4.5 metres, connected by a wall circumscribing a courtyard. The nuraghe was built with large limestone and trachyte blocks arranged in straight rows during the Middle Bronze Age (16th-14th century BC). The bastion bears smaller blocks, being accessed through an entrance followed by a short passage that leads into a courtyard, where there is a well still in use to this day. In the keep, the presence of a large oven is visible, perhaps having been used for heating and for forging metals and working terracotta. The chamber of a smaller ellipsoid tower features four small niches, connecting to the courtyard by a two-metre corridor. The village, also including a well, extended around the Nuraghe. Discovered during digs in the late-20th century were the foundations of a number of huts.
In the territory of Uri, in addition to Santa Cadrina, there are more than forty Nuragic settlements. Ten, including the Peppe Gallu, lie on the base and shores of Lake Cuga, the country’s scenic attraction and the habitat of rare birds, as well as being a paradise for sport fishing. Near the village, stands the Pedra Longa stele, before a Tomb of Giants. Ten kilometres from the town are the ruins of Nostra Signora di Paulis, built along the route of a Roman road, called S'istrada de sos Padres due to it connecting the Abbey of Paulis to that of Santa Maria di Corte (Sindia).
