Already populated in prehistoric times, as we can see from the remains of the domus de janas of Malicas dated 3800 B.C. and some nuraghe and dolmens in the land surrounding the hamlet, Galtellì went down in history for the chronicles of medieval age related to the establishment of the Episcopal Diocese of Saint Peter in the Giudicato of Gallura from 1138 to 1495; subsequently it passed under the Aragonese dominion between the XV and XVIII century, influence which is present in the architecture of the parish church of SS Crucifisso and in the heritage of wooden statues, and under Piedmontese control between the XVIII and XIX century, as testified by the Malicas Castle, hunting fort of Baron Guzzetti and the last Baroque reform of the parish church.
The territory has a rich environmental heritage and wildlife that begins from the banks of the Cedrino River to the limestone range of Tuttavista Mount populated by holm oaks, mastics, centenarian junipers trees and rare endemisms, where you will find the natural monument of Sa Preta Istampata (the perforated stone) at 635 meters a.s.l.
The historic center of the hamlet of Galtellì is one of the best preserved in Sardinia. Simple portals or decorated, saddleback roofs and poor yet charming dwellings overlook the steep and quiet streets.
The traditional rural architecture brightens up in the colors, flavors and scents that mutate as the seasons change like in the manor house of 1700 Sa Domo 'e sos Marras, typical galtellinese house, today the site of the ethnographic museum which houses over 1800 pieces and tells the peasant life of the time. Its history, landscape, characters and states of mind remained impressed by the pen of the writer Grazia Deledda from Nuoro who in Galtellì set her most famous novel Reeds in the wind. It is a book in which initiatives, organization and services are transformed into an exciting agenda for the visit and the travel, thanks to the summer itinerant boys theatre along the narrated places like the "emotional journeys" for 17 years, the night walks to the ruins of Pontes Castle and the guided tours through the old town centre.