Orgosolo: murals, Barbagia and Sardinia tours
In the historic region of Barbagia, Orgosolo has streets decorated with murals. The village sits in the central Supramonte at an altitude of 620 metres.
Orgosolo murals
The story of mural painting here began in 1969, after the Pratobello protest, with Dioniso, an anarchist theatre group from Milan. Its styles include impressionism, hyperrealism, naïve art and realism. In 1975 Francesco Del Casino, a teacher from Siena, began painting murals with his pupils; the village now has about 150 murals. Each year, the murals draw thousands of visitors from countries around the world.
The Orgosolo murals walking tour with audio guide lasts 1 hour and 30 minutes. It includes rental of a multilingual audio guide, a shared set of headphones, a planned self-guided mural route and historical and cultural commentary at each mural stop.
Barbagia: traditions and history
Orgosolo and Mamoiada are places where language and traditions continue to be strongly preserved. Polyphonic folk singing known as canto a tenore belongs to Orgosolo’s cultural traditions and remains practised here. UNESCO recognised canto a tenore as intangible cultural heritage in 2005. Silkworm breeding also continues to be passed down in Orgosolo. Gustos e Nuscos is the Orgosolo event within Autunno in Barbagia, held in the middle of October.
By the late nineteenth century, Orgosolo had acquired a reputation for banditry. In 1969, a peaceful occupation of the fields at Pratobello lasted several days before the army pulled out.
The carasau bread workshop and museum tour in Orgosolo takes 1 hour and 30 minutes. Included are a guided Carasau Bread Museum visit, an instructed bread-making workshop, a documentary screening and a tasting of carasau bread, local cheese and Cannonau wine.
Sardinia tours: Barbagia and the Supramonte
Hills and mountains make up most of Orgosolo’s municipal territory. The municipal land rises to about 1,400 metres (Monte Armario, 1,433 metres) in the foothills of the Gennargentu range. The Supramonte extends across much of the territory of Oliena, Orgosolo, Urzulei, Baunei and Dorgali. Its area is approximately 350 square kilometres. Monte Corrasi has an elevation of 1,463 metres. The Gennargentu mountains are part of Gennargentu National Park.
The Barbagia off-road jeep tour with sheepfold lunch from Arbatax runs for 8 hours and 30 minutes. It includes a local expert guide throughout, 4x4 jeep transport for the route, a traditional sheepfold lunch, admission to the archaeological sites on the itinerary and a guided walk in Orgosolo.
The private Supramonte jeep tour from Orgosolo with murals lasts 6 hours. It includes private 4x4 jeep transport throughout, an expert local guide for the hike and mural tour, a one-hour guided mural visit, an off-road drive through Montes Forest and a guided ascent to the summit of Monte Novo San Giovanni.
Archaeology and the gorge
More than 30 nuraghi lie within the municipality of Orgosolo. Gorropu gorge forms the municipal boundary between Orgosolo and Urzulei. A trail from Genna Silana of about 4.5 km leads down to the gorge. Gorropu is about 1.5 km long, with walls over 450 metres high, up to about 500 metres.
Frequently asked questions
When did mural painting begin in Orgosolo?
It began in 1969, after the Pratobello protest, with Dioniso, an anarchist theatre group from Milan.
Which region is Orgosolo in?
Orgosolo lies in the historic region of Barbagia.
What is canto a tenore?
It is a polyphonic folk singing tradition still practised in Orgosolo.
How long is the carasau bread workshop and museum tour?
The workshop and museum tour lasts 1 hour and 30 minutes.
How many nuraghi are in the municipality of Orgosolo?
There are more than 30 nuraghi in the municipality of Orgosolo.
