Sorgono, harvest with oxen
Sorgono, harvest with oxen - © Eikon Nuoro, Archivio Aspen

Sorgono

Sorgono lies in the middle of Sardinia on the west slope of the Gennargentu massif, surrounded by forests filled with conifers, holm oak, Italian oak, chestnuts, walnuts and Mediterranean scrub.

Sorgono, Santu Luisu forest
Sorgono, Santu Luisu forest - © Ivo Piras

There are also numerous springs in the area that flow from the rocky waters, two of the most striking being Perda 'e Mantza and Erriu de Sauccu. The landscape alternates between mountains and gentle hills planted with grain and vineyards producing the cannonau, monica and bovale grapes used to make Mandrolisai.

There are also numerous sites attesting to the prehistoric and proto-historic periods in the area, including about twenty nuraghs, three of which being Orrubiu, Calamaera and Lò, and ten giants’ tombs which, along with the Ruinacchesos village, attest to the Bronze Age.

Sorgono, nuraghe Lò
Sorgono, nuraghe Lò - CC BY 2.0 Carlo Marras, Commons Wikimedia - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Nurake_Lo.jpg
Sorgono, Biru 'e Concas. Alignment of menhirs
Sorgono, Biru 'e Concas. Alignment of menhirs - © Ivo Piras

The most famous archaeological area is Biru 'e Concas, which hosts one of the most extraordinary concentrations of menhirs in the Mediterranean: about 200 in total, including proto-anthropomorphic, anthropomorphic and statue menhirs, dating to between 3200 and 1800 BCE.

Sorgono, historic center
Sorgono, historic center - CC BY-SA 4.0 Air fans, Commons Wikimedia - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Centro_di_Sorgono_4.jpg

Sorgono still preserves traces of Aragon rule in its old town, which is filled with stone houses and narrow streets. Its most notable buildings include Casa Carta and the Serra house museum, which displays old furnishings. The town also has a museum of wood devoted to the art of carving.

Sorgono, sanctuary of San Mauro
Sorgono, sanctuary of San Mauro - © Marcello Oggianu - stock.adobe.com

Among the churches, the parish church of Santa Maria Assunta, in late-Gothic style, is of particular note, along with Nostra Signora d’Itria, San Giacomo and the sanctuary of San Mauro.
The latter is one of Sardinia’s most important places of worship.
It comprises a late-Gothic church and muristenes (lodgings for pilgrims and the faithful) and is surrounded by ancient trees on the slopes of Monte Lisai.
The church was built in 1574 and features a grand Gothic rose window, the biggest in Sardinia, on its grey trachyte facade.