Cuglieri

Today it is a village overlooking the sea, originally Gurulis Nova, a Roman town from the 2nd century BC. Cuglieri lies amphitheatrically on the Bardosu hill, on the western slope of Montiferru, of which it has always been the main centre. At the top of the town stands the majestic basilica of Santa Maria ad Nives (of the Snow), the first Sardinian minor basilica. It is always open, while you can visit the others during religious festivals, Open Monuments and Holy Week. The rites staged by the confraternities characterize the village: processions of Our Lady of Sorrows, 'of the Palms', the Sepulchres, Coena Domini, s'Incravamentu and s'Iscravamentu and s'Incontru at Easter, accompanied by the gosos, poignant liturgical songs. From 1927 to 1971, Cuglieri hosted the Pontifical Theological Faculty, the first outside Rome. Also historic is sa Colonia, a sanatorium for children suffering from malaria. Don't miss the festivals of San Giovanni (end of June) and santu Tilippu, the Panadas festival and the carnival characterized by sos Cotzulados. Surrounding the town are the Ferru and Entu mountains (over 1,000 metres), covered in forests. Livestock breeding and agriculture are the main activities of a centre of almost three thousand inhabitants: among the products, olive oil stands out, to which the 'Giorgio Zampa' Oil Museum, set up in an oil mill, is dedicated.