FONNI  , a

town of Sardinia, in the province of Sassari, 328o ft. above sea-level, to the N.W. of Monte Gennargentu, 21 M . S. of Nuoro by road . Pop . (1901) 4323 . It is the highest village in Sardinia, and situated among fine scenery with some chestnut woods . The church of the Franciscans, built in 1708, contains some curious paintings by local artists . The costumes are extremely picturesque, and are well seen on the day of St John the Baptist, the patron saint . The men's costume is similar to that worn in the district generally; the linen trousers are long and black gaiters are worn . The women wear a white chemise; over that a very small corselet, and over that a red jacket with blue and black velvet facings . The skirt is brown above and red below, with a blue band between the two colours; it is accordion-pleated . Two identical skirts are often worn, one above the other . The unmarried girls wear white kerchiefs, the married women black .

A little to the N. of Fonni, by the high-road, stood the

Roman station of Sorabile, mentioned in the Antonine Itinerary as situated 87 m. from Carales on the road to Olbia . Excavations made in 1879 and 1880 led to the discovery of the remains of this station, arranged round three sides of a courtyard some roo ft. square, including traces of baths and other buildings, and a massive embanking wall above them, some 150 ft. in length, to protect them from landslips (F . Vivanet, in Notizie degli scavi, 1879, 350; 1881, 31), while a discharge certificate (tabula honestae missionis) of sailors who had served in the classis Ravennas was found in some ruins here or hereabouts (id. ib., 1882, 440; T . Mommsen, Corp. inscr . Lat. x . 8325) . Near Fonni, too, are several " menhirs " (called pietre celtiche in the district) and other prehistoric remains . (T .