Nuoro is the Sardinian Athens, animated by a lively cultural ferment since the 19th century. Artists and men of letters such as Salvatore and Sebastiano Satta, Francesco Ciusa and Grazia Deledda gave it notoriety throughout Europe. Strolling through its historic center is a pleasant and relaxing experience: you will take a dip back in time as you walk through narrow cobblestone-covered alleys, admiring old stone houses, courtyards, porticoes and small squares that open up almost unexpectedly. Historic neighborhoods include Séuna, once home to farmers and artisans, and santu Pedru, which housed shepherds and landowners.
Here is the Deleddian museum, birthplace of the Nobel Prize-winning writer, which today preserves intact the memory of an artist who opened the borders of Sardinia to the world and who rests in the little church of the Solitudine at the foot of Ortobene, the mountain of the Nuresi, "our soul," Deledda called it: a naturalistic heritage not to be missed. Corso Garibaldi, once Via Majore, has always been the hub of Nuoro social life with historic businesses and cafes. Take a break at an outdoor table of the corso's bars or wander the alleys in search of quaint restaurants and trattorias.
A few steps away you'll find the ancient Church of the Graces and the majestic Cathedral of Santa Maria della Neve. Next to it is a vantage point from which you'll access the Tribu cultural space and the Ciusa Museum, which displays the fascinating sculptures of Francesco Ciusa, first prize at the Venice Biennale (1907). Also a short distance away is the Nuoro Museum of Art (MoA), which hosts temporary international and permanent exhibitions of works by 20th-century Sardinian artists. Also not to be missed is the Museum of Sardinian Folk Life and Traditions, a 'cross-section' of traditional culture, material and immaterial, with clothing, jewelry, masks, textiles, work tools and references to traditional song, devotion and festivals.
To see the traditional costumes live, don't miss the festival of the Redeemer on the last Sunday in August with a parade of folk groups from all over Sardinia. During the celebration, the faithful go on pilgrimage from the town to Ortobene, where the statue of Christ the Redeemer stands at an altitude of about 1,000 meters.
The 1,600 hectares of the mountain, inhabited since prehistoric times, as evidenced by some domus de Janas, offer endless landscapes enclosed within parks such as that of Sedda Ortai. High granite rocks with singular shapes soar solemnly and alternate with depressions, habitats of rare mammals and birds of prey.
Nuoro
Address: Via Dante, 44, 08100
Phone: 0784 216700
Site:
http://www.comune.nuoro.it/Location inserted by
Luigi de Marchi