Like the Capo Caccia/Isola Piana Marine Protected Area, the Porto Conte Regional Nature Reserve has played host to human beings from as far back as the mid-Neolithic period, as evinced by the fossil remains discovered within the Grotta Verde or “Green Cave”. The human presence from then on is betrayed by traces left behind across all of the different epochs. Of particular importance are the finds relating to the Nuragic period, including the nuraghe of Palmavera (a tower-shaped stone structure of which there are many in Sardinia, dating from the Bronze and Iron Ages), which is sited at the foot of Mount Des Daus, along Highway 127 bis leading to Porto Conte. The nuraghe of Sant’Imbenia is equally fascinating. For those with a passion for all things Roman, a visit to the Roman villa of Sant’Imbenia is a sine qua non. The period of Aragonese domination also left its mark in the form of numerous watchtowers, almost all of which are in a good state of preservation.