Mandrolisai

Along the Ortueri and Atzara border, on the slopes of Monte Lisai, is the San Mauro sanctuary. One of Sardinia’s symbolic places of worship, it is also home to the stele of the Tomb of Giants of “Funtana Morta”, not far from the local church.  For those who prefer to immerse themselves in nature, surrounded by typical Sardinian fauna, the “Santu Loisu” reserve is not to be missed. These woods of Mediterranean scrub are home to mouflons, deer, fallow deer and with a little luck, it is even possible to spy the Golden Eagle in all its majesty. Of great fascination within the village are the ancient stone houses that face onto the narrow streets of the town. Here, you can visit the Serra House-museum that still contains its historic furnishings, and the “Museo dei Segni sul Legno”, set up within a building with a garden in the historic town centre to showcase the art of wood carving and engraving. The museum also houses the “Funtana Lei”, a 17th-century granite fountain of Pisan origin.

Perched on the “Sa Serra” hill is another village – Ortueri, with medieval origins with Roman traces, such as the evocative “Pedra Litterada” necropolis and the ancient sarcophagi bearing inscriptions dedicated to the gods of the Mani people. The town is known for its distinctive cork objects, for boasting the second tallest bell tower in Sardinia that rises up from the town centre, and for the “Mui Muscas” park – Sardinia’s donkey park – where visitors can stroll amongst the 50 protected “asinello sardo”, a species of donkey present mainly in Sardinia and historically used for transport and agricultural work but which is now at risk of extinction due to being used for meat production.  

At the heart of the region is Atzara, one of the five towns forming the Sardinian network of the Borghi Più Belli d’Italia – a classification of Italy’s most beautiful villages – thanks to the granite architecture topped by characteristic roofs comprised of oak beams. More can be discovered about a part of the history of this beautiful land by visiting the “Museo d’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea” (“Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art”) named after Antonio Ortiz Echague, the hand behind the iconic painting “Donne di Sardegna” (“Women of Sardinia”), displayed in a captivating 19th-century building.  The museum dedicated to the eclectic Spanish painter consists of various rooms exhibiting historical photographs and paintings, through which to learn about and retrace the Sardinian and local history.

  An excellent time to visit Atzara and to savour a delicious glass of “Mandrolisai DOC” wine is during the “Sagra del Vino” (“Wine Festival”) held each year in May – an event not to be missed for food and wine lovers.    

Heading to the east of the region, you come to Tonara – a town of artisanal cowbells, with its “Sagra del Torrone” that has been held each Easter Monday since 1979 – before reaching Desulo, a village that sits 900 metres above sea level, surrounded by woods that adorn the town with different colours from season to season. Desulo dominates the island from up high. Here, it is possible to visit the tallest nuragic archaeological site in Sardinia. Found just outside the inhabited centre, the nuraghe “Ura de Sole”, built at 1,330 metres above sea level, creates a magical atmosphere when observing the view it overlooks. A vivacious and folkloristic atmosphere reigns over the streets of the town during the festivals, when the Carta House-museum and the “Montanaru Ethnographic Museum” host exhibitions of ancient tools and traditional garments, including that of Desulo, characterised by bright and showy colours that render it one of the best-known and most-loved in Sardinia.

Mandrolisai is a rural area nestled amongst the mountains, a fundamental stop amongst the historical Sardegna East Land regions, and a must in gaining a true understanding of the roots of the Sardinian territory through its unspoiled nature, its ancient culture and its high-quality flavours.