Nuorese Cultural District
Nuoro
Description
Nuoro has its origins in the fight for freedom and in the cultural fervour that, starting in the nineteenth century, earned it the nickname Athens of Sardinia.
The city is located in the heart of Sardinia and watched over by Monte Ortobene.
This natural monument, which has a splendid belvedere and is surrounded by deep ravines and enchanting valleys, also features fascinating rock formations called tafoni. Exploring its forests, trails and springs, like the Fonte Sa 'e Milianu, you can observe various animal species and a rich variety of flora, including a vast range of orchids.
Each year, the feast of the Saviour is celebrated at the top of the mountain, home to the church of Nostra Signora De Su Monte, with a procession enlivened by local choirs.
At the foot of the mountain, on different sides, you find the sanctuary of Nostra Signora di Valverde, Maria Lai’s work Andando Via and the small church of the Madonna della Solitudine. The little church has a bronze door sculpted by Eugenio Tavolara and preserves the remains of the writer Grazia Deledda in a black granite tomb.
Nuoro has a long history, and prehistoric life in the area is attested by giants’ tombs, like those of Maria Frunza and Janna Ventosa, which date to between 4000 and 3000 BCE, and about thirty nuraghs, the most interesting of which are those of Tanca Manna, Noddule and Ugolio.
The city’s first nucleus, dating to the Roman period, is documented by the archaeological remains found near the Ribu de Seuna stream.
In the early Middle Ages, the populace moved near to Sa Bena spring, creating Sèuna, the city’s oldest quarter.
Nuoro was part of the Judicate of Torres and Arborea during the Middle Ages. Then, it became a feudal possession of the Aragonese crown and then that of Spain. In 1868, while under Savoy rule, the city rebelled against the Edict of Allotments, demanding a return to the old ways to the cry ‘a su connottu!’ (roughly, ‘[back] to the known’).
The protesters, led by Paskedda Zau, stormed Palazzo Mortoni, which was the Nuoro Town Hall at the time.
Despite its difficulties, Nuoro continued to grow, expanding out from the quarters of Sèuna and Santu Predu.
Although isolated, the culture fervour in the town drew the attention of Europe: artists, scholars and writers, including Francesco Ciusa, Salvatore Satta, Sebastiano Satta and Grazia Deledda, brought the Barbagia capital fame.
In 1927, Nuoro was elevated to the rank of Province, spurring major urban planning activity in the 1930s.
This was the period when the Palazzo delle Poste, designed by Angiolo Mazzoni, was built, and from the moment it opened it was the centre of the new Nuoro Littoria. Thanks to its strategic and dominant position, it also contributed to defining the direction of the city’s expansion, and so in the immediate vicinity you also find the Chamber of Commerce, the Istituto Magistrale (teacher training school), the Liceo Ginnasio ‘G. Asproni’ (secondary school), Palazzo del Governo (government house), the Casa del Mutilato (for the disabled) and the old San Francesco hospital.
Nearby, you find the former Sanatorio Climatico (sanitorium), which was inaugurated in 1939 and is now the ‘Cesare Zoncello’ hospital, and the former Artiglieria (army barracks), which were built between the late 1920s and early 1930s.
Nuoro is seen today as the symbol of Sardinian culture and traditions.
The Museo Archeologico Nazionale G. Asproni has an intriguing display of the rich finds unearthed in the Province of Nuoro, dating from the Neolithic to the early Middle Ages.
The city is home to the Istituto Superiore Regionale Etnografico (ISRE; Sardinian Regional Institute of Ethnography), which runs the Museo del Costume, an important museum devoted to the everyday life and material culture of the islanders, including clothing, masks, food and musical instruments.
The Museo Deleddiano, run by ISRE and located in the childhood home of Grazia Deledda, winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature, also offers a trip through time to discover the writer’s social world, key sites and personal objects.
The building is found in the picturesque Santu Predu quarter, which is distinctive for its low, one- or two-storey granite houses.
Piazza Sebastiano Satta is another attraction in the city centre. Created in 1967 by Costantino Nivola, it features bronze statuettes of the Nuoro poet mounted in the cavities of massive blocks of granite.
A very short walk from the piazza, where you also find the childhood home of Sebastiano Satta, you come to the MAN (Museo d'Arte provincia Nuoro) art museum, the Spazio Ilisso art space, the TEN (Teatro Eliseo Nuoro) theatre and the Mancaspazio art gallery, all of which also organise numerous events.
Also nearby is the ExMe (Ex Mercato, or former market), a space used by organisations, associations, committees and companies for meetings, conferences, seminars and training courses.
The Sebastiano Satta library, dedicated to the poet, was founded in 1933 by the City and Province of Nuoro, with the support of the Minister for Public Education.
There is another statue of him in Piazza San Giovanni, in the Santu Pedru quarter, and, continuing along Corso Garibaldi, you find Caffè Tettamanzi, the historic café frequented by Satta and other Nuoro intellectuals.
In the old quarter’s maze of streets, little houses and squares, including Piazza Su Cuzone, you also find the church of N.S. del Rosario and the church of San Carlo Borromeo, the latter built in the early seventeenth century and the final resting place of the sculptor Francesco Ciusa.
The artist’s childhood home is opposite the church.
In the city’s oldest quarter, Sèuna, you find the church of the Vergine delle Grazie, dating to the seventeenth century and one of the most venerated by Nuoro residents. Its facade is decorated with a large rose window and a Renaissance-style portal with Catalan Gothic elements.
The cathedral, dedicated to Santa Maria della Neve (St Mary of the Snow) was built in the mid nineteenth century. Its theatrical Neoclassical-style facade looms over the church piazza and is flanked by two twin bell towers.
There are other historical and natural attractions just outside the city, including the monumental cemetery, the Sant’Onofrio park, the Badore Sini lookout and the ancient pine cited by Grazia Deledda.
Nuoro is a fascinating city that mixes history, culture and natural beauty: the perfect place for immersing yourself in Sardinia’s culture and exploring the island’s rich traditions, art and landscape.