Bortigiadas (in Gallurese Bultigghjata) is a Municipality of 820 inhabitants situated just a few kilometers far from Tempio Pausania, within the historical region of Gallura.
Today in Bortigiadas only Gallurese is spoken but in the past, until the half of the 20th century, Logudorese was predominantly used and it was a language peninsula within the territory of Gallura.
This small village area is typical of the high hills: the highest peak is Punta Saici (911 m.). Soil is partially covered with woods and partially with pastures. A small plain put to horticultural use is situated in the hamlet of Tisiènnari.
Economy in this small Municipality is based on farming, above all bovine farming, horticulture and fruit farming (cherry).
The village origin is not datable, even though in the territory several attestations dating at the Roman Age (Sa Menta and Spirito Santo) have been retrieved; moreover, in the Middle Age, the village, that was the most inhabited of the Curatoria of Gemini, belonged to the Giudicato di Gallura.
In the territory of Bortigiadas there is plenty of Nuraghi (such as Cantareddu, Midinna, Puppia, San Pancrazio) and Domus de Janas (Conchedda di La Fata, Tisiènnari). In Tisiènnari there is a necropolis of Domus de Janas where it is possible to admire walls decorated with protomes of bulls and human figures.
By an historical and artistic point of view, the parish church of San Nicola di Bari (XVI-XVII century) and that of Santa Croce (XVIII century) are worth mentioning. Bortigiadas is the seat of an important mineralogical museum inaugurated in 1983, where more than 1,000 samples of 260 different species of mineral are exposed.
