Sardinia Homepage > Cities > Nuoro

Nuoro in Sardinia – not nice, but worth seeing

Nuoro is situated on a granite plateau in the Riu d’Oliena valley in the centre of the Barbagia. This city is the seat of administration and capital of the same-named province and it almost is its geographical centre, the heart of Sardinia. The first documents, in which the city was mentioned, are from the 12th and 13th century, while its inhabitants still call it “Nugoro”. Nevertheless, the people can be 100% sure that a settlement was already built here in prehistoric times.

Even though Nuoro had a long impressive history, it barely reflects it in its dull new build districts, its ugly concrete giants, its fascist monumental buildings and its commercial areas. Only the old town-centre with its narrow alleys, corners and small granite houses show traces of the rural character of the former peasant- and shepherd settlements.

In 1779, Nuoro became the bishop’s seat and, finally, received municipal law in 1836. After Nuoro was named the capital of the province in 1926, it had its first economic boom accompanied by the rapid development.

 

Nuoro is popular for three things outside its city boundaries. At first, the city had to deal with its questionable reputation of being a nest of crooks and bandits until the 1970’s and also its prison, supercacere di Badu’e Carros still reminds of the notorious gangster hunts, coordinated by the police from Nuoro, up to the present day.

For another thing, local costume groups from entire Sardinia meet up here every year in august to the occasion of the traditional folk festival “Sagra del Redentore”, the saviour’s festival, while they walk to the Christ statue on the peak of Monte Ortobene and celebrate a ritual mass. Traditional dances, music and culinary delicacies take place in the city’s amphitheatre right after the mass in the pilgrimage church Madonna de su Monte.

The Monte Ortobene, however, still is an attractive excursion destination in the rest of the year with numerous picnic places, a hotel and some restaurants, because it only is eight kilometres away from Nuoro. On your way to the 1,000 metres high peak “Cuccurie Nieddu” (955 m), you will pass a powerful granite landscape, small springs and walk through Macchia and thick pine forests. Here, you will not only find the impressive seven metres high brazen statue of the saviour, a work of the sculptor Jerace from the year 1901, but also a wonderful panorama of the Barbargia, the Grennargentu summit and the wild Supramonte-massif.

The third reason for Nuoro’s high profile is that the city is the birthplace of some popular Sardinian artists, such as the writer Sebastiano Satta (1867 – 1914), the poet Salvatore Satta (1902 – 1975) and the sculptor Francesco Ciusa (1883 – 1949). However, the city’s most famous daughter is, without a doubt, the Nobel laureate Grazia Deledda (1871 - 1936). The writer was laid to rest in the small chapel Nostra Signora della Solitudine that was constructed by Giovanni Ciusa in 1959.

In one of Nuoro’s oldest city quarters, the Via Grazia Deledda, you can find the Nobel laureate’s birth house, in which there is a museum now. Here, you can look at her books and the schedule of her plays and in addition to that, you can even have a look at a copy of her Nobel Price certificate.

In memory of another famous personality of the city, the poet Sebastiano Satta was honoured by erecting a brazen statue of him, which was built by Costatino Nivola (1911 – 1988), on the place where his birth house is located (the Piazza Sebastiano Satta); the statue shows episodes of the artist’s life and work.

Nuoro’s centres of attention are the promenades and main shopping streets Corso Garibaldi and Via La Marmora, which make their way all through the city with their numerous bars, cafés and groceries.

Here, you can buy everything that your heart desires: from Sardinian sausage- and cheese delicacies over fruits, vegetables, exquisite honey to alluring pastry specialities. Close to the end of the Corso Garibaldi, the church Nostra Signora delle Grazie and the sanctuary aside (the sanctuary was built in the 17th century by Nicolao Ruju Manca), which are located on the Piazza delle Grazie, are worth the visit. At the other end of the Corso, on the Piazza Mazzini, the classical cathedral Santa Maria della Neve, with the ordinary chapter from the year 1853 and the seminary, is to be found.

Nuoro’s landscape of museums has a lot to offer. In addition to the extraordinary fossil finds of the Civico Museo Speleo-Archeologico and the temporary exhibitions of local, national and international works in the Museo d’Arte, the “Museo della vita e delle tradizioni popolari sarde”, also known as the “Museo del Costume”, is the main attraction of the city’s museums. This Museum of Popular Art has 18 showrooms, which are an identical remake of a typical Sardian village with yards, alleys and staircases. This was a plan of the architect Antonio Simon Mossa that was realised in the 1960’s. This very interesting collection allows a broad view on Sardian traditions and shows costumes from every region of the isle, music instruments, jewellery, handmade carpets, baskets, artfully carved furnishings, weapons plus brass- and silver buttons. The highlights of the exhibition are the Barbagia’s famous carnival masks and the bread show, which document the Sardian art of bread baking with more than 500 baked goods.

Besides, the museum also runs a library with ethnological literature and, furthermore, is the venue of the festival for ethnographical and culture anthropological films, which takes place every second year.

Beyond the Museum of Popular Art, the path to the Colle Sant’Onofrio starts. At about 590 metres, you have a gorgeous view on the valley, the Monto Ortobene plus the statue of the saviour and the Supramonte.

It seems that Nuoro is no beauty not merely on first sight, but no one who lets himself involve with the secret treasures of the old town and its unmistakable prosperity of art and culture, will regret the visit to this city.




Premiumpartner: Nützliche Informationen über die Toskana. Ausserdem finden Sie zahlreiche Informationen über die Städte der Toskana, z.B über Florenz, Pisa und Siena Logo erstellen | Logo gestalten | Firmenlogo erstellen auf toskana-ferienhaus-urlaub.de

Topthemen im Reiseverzeichnis: ÄgyptenBulgarien | Logo erstellen | Logo gestalten | Firmenlogo erstellen


Titel dieser Seite: Nuoro in Sardinia – not nice, but worth seeing
Zusammenfassung dieser Seite: Nuoro is situated on a granite plateau in the Riu d’Oliena valley in the centre of the Barbagia. This city is the seat of administration and capital of the same-named province and it almost is its geographical centre, the heart of Sardinia.

Sardinien - Nuoro | Sardinia - Nuoro | Sardegna 
Sardinien Ferienhaus    Travel directory    Sitemap