Nuoro is located in the heart of Sardinia,
occupying the middle of the island from the east to the
west coasts. This is the region people head directly to
when they’re interested in discovering the real Sardinia.
Neither the Romans nor the Spanish nor any other foreigners
have ever succeeded in conquering this wilderness. Over
the centuries the remoteness of this region has created
a culture in which ancient customs and traditions infuse
everyday life to a greater extent than just about anywhere
else on the island. In many villages magnificently colourful
traditional clothing is still worn, and visitors who witness
one of the countless festivals that are held here will come
away convinced that the ancient rituals still thrive in
this region. The landscape around Nuoro is wild and hilly.
The town is set on top of a mountain which is surrounded
by the Gennargentum and Supramonte ranges, the latter the
subject of much Sardinian folklore. The capital city of
the region Barbagia is regarded as the cultural and intellectual
centre of the island. Artists, authors and poets gather
in Barbagia, both native Sardinians and those who have chosen
to make their home on the island. Barbagia also has a long
and distinguished crafts tradition. It was the home of Grazia
Deledda, Nobel Prize winner in Literature in 1926. If you
like captivating landscapes, walking and riding paths that
follow old shepherd’s trails, extravagantly romantic
places with rare species of birds; or if you’re interested
in archaeological finds or in visiting the passageways and
grottos under the mountains around Oliena with its fascinating
folklore and legends; and if at the same time you’d
like to have the Mediterranean sea and Sardinia’s
idyllic coast line close at hand, then Nuoro is the place
for you, Nuoro will fascinate you entirely.
