Nuoro & the East

NUORO & THE EAST and theFonte SacraSuTempiesu ismagnificentlylocated. village ofGavoistagesaninternational literature festival. is reinventing murals,whilethesmall Barbagia itself asatouristsite thankstoitscolourful one oftheisland’smosttheatricalfestivals. capitalofSardinia, Orgosolo, oncethekidnap produced astringoftopauthors,includingNobelPrize–winner GraziaDeledda,andhosts and you’lldiscover adefiantspirit.Nuoro,notoneofSardinia’smostbeautifulcities,has emigration have notallbeen consignedtothehistorybooks. Butgetbehindtheveneer housing andneglected roadssuggestthattheproblemsofpoverty, unemploymentand well asmyriadwater-borne possibilities. cyclingandclimbing,as A paradiseforoutdoorenthusiasts,itboastsexhilaratingtrekking, vast, emptyvalleysoftheOgliastra,thisisoneSardinia’sgreat untamedwildernesses. grey arena oftheGennargentu coastlineoftheGolfodiOroseiand tothebreathtaking andthecountrysidehasremainedhave survived largely unspoilt. and smallruralcommunitieshave learnedtofend forthemselves. As aresult, localtraditions shaped bycenturiesofisolation.Uncompromisingmountainshave theworldatbay, kept tainous region. dubbedanislandwithin anisland, Often Nuoro anditsprovinces have been moun- youneedto visitthisspectacular To getafeel forSardinia’sproudandancientheart Nuoro &the East 190 © LonelyPlanetPublications Of themanyarchaeological sites,Of theprehistoric villageofTiscali isstrangeandwonderful, Yet whilethelandscapethrills,townsare often downrightugly.Cheapbreeze-block Nowhere elseinSardiniaisthelandscapesuchanoverpowering force. Fromthegreat,

HIGHLIGHTS

Getaglimpseintothelife ofSardinia’smost Scalethehidden heightsinthehillsaround Leave theworldbehindasyouexplore the Saildownthe PlungeintoEurope’s GrandCanyon, the ( p193) resurrected asNuoro’s famous authorather childhoodhome,now Ulassai Golgo weird highlandplainofthe and hiddencoves ( p212 ) coastline, stoppingoffatsecludedbeaches Tiscali Gola SuGorruppu (p217) ( p211 ), apoignantprehistoric village (p217) Golfo diOrosei’s ( p210 ), andtrek to Museo Deleddiano Altopiano del imperious

Gorruppu Gola Su Nuoro Ulassai del Golgo Altopiano Tiscali Golfo di Orosei NUORO & THE EAST 191 Carta . The train . The train 0784 24 02 37; 8am-6.50pm % h ( 8.30am-1.30pm & 3-7pm 0784 3 41 61; Corso Garibaldi h centro storico ’s eastern lip, to admire lip, to admire ’s eastern % 0784 3 87 77; Corso Garibaldi 155; ( (Corso Garibaldi of several 90) One 0784 3 21 00; Viale Europa) 0784 3 00 83; www.enteturismo . Museo della Vita e delle Tradizioni (Piazza F Crispi; (Piazza % % ( % ( ( 0784 25 70 35; Via Antonio Mereu 56; adult/child 9am-8pm daily Jun-Sep, & 3-7pm daily 9am-1pm provides a fascinating insight into insight a fascinating into provides % (

h centro storico 9am-1pm & 3.30-7pm Mon-Sat) A very helpful private9am-1pm & 3.30-7pm Mon-Sat) Ortobene. The main street is Corso Corso is street The main Ortobene. tidy of bisects which Garibaldi, a warren tourist office. Via Mannironi) The city’s main hospital, west of the centre. Via Mannironi) The city’s main hospital, west of the h €3/1; Oct-May) superstitions Sardinian traditions, folklores, and celebrations. The museum’s 8000-piece jewellery,collection comprises car- filigree embroidery, musical pets, tapestries, rich instruments, weapons, household tools and Mon-Fri, 8am-1pm Sat) Mon-Fri, 8am-1pm SIGHTS & ACTIVITIES Nuoro’s appeal lies in the historic cen- into geographical To put the area tre. stop for a moment on Via perspective, the road that twists along Aspromonte, the Ortobene. to Monte sweeping views over the visitor that This panorama reminds hilltop vil- Nuoro was originally an isolated Indeed, the alleyways around Grazia lage. a something of Deledda’s old house retain rural atmosphere. Museo della Vita e delle Tradizioni Sarde The wonderful Sarde Libreria Mondadori English. but little in 147) A bookshop selling good maps, Main post office Ospedale Civile San Francesco Police station Punto Informa Tourist office lanes, where you’ll find several you’ll restaurants lanes, where hotels Nuoro’s of Most cafes. and popular in the scruffy that extends modern town are the of westwards down Via Lamarmora,and bus stations are Garibaldi, and the Corso of the extension is on Piazza Italia,tourist office a big mod- historic centre. the above ern square INFORMATION Banco di Sardegna Archeologica Archeologica Illustrata banks with an ATM. banks with Italia 19; Piazza .nuoro.it; daily Jun-Sep, same hours Mon-Fri Oct-May) Has plenty of useful information on Nuoro and environs, including an excellent archaeological map of the province, the NUORO •• History

Nuoro was appointed a provincial capital a provincial Nuoro was appointed

By the 18th century the town, by now under NUORO NUORO

The old centre is huddled into Nuoro’s is huddled into Nuoro’s The old centre corner, on a high spur of northeastern land that juts eastward to become Monte leave in search of work. of in search leave ORIENTATION visage, Nuoro remains troubled, as high un- Nuoro remains visage, employment forces many young people to sided and the town presents a cheerful enough a cheerful sided and the town presents only served and the Nuoresi to further alienate authority. of cement their mistrust in 1927. It quickly developed into a bustling mi- internal attracting centre, administrative Although the province. grants from all over banditry has sub- of the traditional problem whole Nuoro district as a ‘crime zone’, an atti- which the area, of in its treatment tude reflected land (and thus hand it to the rich landowners). land (and thus hand it to the rich This action, known as Su Connuttu, no doubt theconfirmed the new Italian nation’s view of town hall to protest attempts to privatise attempts publictown hall to protest around 3000, mostly farmers and shepherds. and shepherds. around 3000, mostly farmers violent place, it rose in rebel- A tough, often lion in 1868 when citizens burned down the Piedmontese control, had a population of Piedmontesea population of control, had was passed from one feudal family to another family was passed from one feudal Spain. later under the Aragonese and Ortobene. The fact is, however, little is known Ortobene. when it the Middle Ages, the city before of area. A popular theory maintains that the A popular theory maintains that the area. city was established opposed when locals to around Monte Roman rule grouped together Archaeologists have unearthed evidence of evidence unearthed of have Archaeologists nuraghic settlements in the Nuoro prehistoric HISTORY and acclaimed poet Sebastiano Satta, and its and acclaimed poet open a the island’s best, museums, some of the rural identity of fascinating window onto mountainous environs. its ture. Literary heroine Grazia Deledda was Grazia Deledda was heroine Literary ture. Satta Salvatore as was novelist born here, But scratch beneath the surface and you’ll you’ll the surface and beneath But scratch a proud, hospitable city, sustained discover and an ingrained cul- by long-held traditions are modern and ugly and there’s little of im- little of ugly and there’s modern and are even the historic centre. in interest, mediate Nuoro (Nugoro in the local dialect) does in the local dialect) Nuoro (Nugoro lit- itself.tle to endear suburbs Its nondescript pop 36,455 town, A scruffy likeable and not immediately lonelyplanet.com