Two days in Nuoro, the Athens of Sardinia

Many artists and men of letters have brought prestige to Barbaricino, one above all. And the first name that comes to mind is his. Starting the itinerary in the Nuoro cultural "world" from the house where Grazia Deledda was born, now converted into a museum, is a natural, almost obvious approach. You will feel like you are walking through the pages of his books, through words, images and environments reconstructed on the basis of his novels.

Nuoro also exudes creativity in the open air: a short 300-metre walk leads in a few minutes to the scenery of Piazza Satta. Two souls coexist there: the poetic one of one of Sardinia's most famous men of letters, Sebastiano Satta, born in one of the buildings surrounding the square, and the figurative one of Costantino Nivola. It was the Orano sculptor who designed and realised the layout of the square, with a floor made of granite blocks and bronze statuettes placed in the cavities of boulders also made of granite. Take a few minutes to contemplate a place with a surreal atmosphere, then leave the Santu Pedru district and walk along Via Satta.

The walk is again short, just a hundred metres, then it is time to explore the MAN – Art Museum of the Province of Nuoro, just behind the city's "living room", Corso Garibaldi, full of bars and shops. The exhibition is an accompanying route into the knowledge of the major Sardinian artists – including Nivola himself, Francesco Ciusa, and Maria Lai – and puts them in touch with the latest creative trends.

The first day in Nuoro ends in the outskirts, on the hill of Sant\'Onofrio: here, less than a kilometre from the MAN, is the Sardinian Ethnographic Museum, the island\'s main ethnographic exhibition. In its six rooms the "cornerstones" of Sardinian culture are on display: traditional clothes, objects, masks, musical instruments and even typical breads.

On the second day, we start (almost) where we left off, just a ten-minute walk from the ethnographic museum. First stop is the majestic Cathedral of Saint Mary 'della Neve' (Cathedral of Our Lady of the Snows), the spiritual centre of the entire Nuorese area, which rises in front of the square of the same name. Columns and tympanum are reminiscent of a classical temple, while the two "twin" side bell towers add to the atmosphere of solemnity. The interior, amidst white marble, polychrome mirrors and golden festoons, almost takes your breath away.

Delving into Nuoro\'s cultural heritage sometimes means taking a journey back in time, especially when, in Via Mannu – just 150 metres from the cathedral – you find yourself in front of the garden that leads to the "Giorgio Asproni" National Archaeological Museum, housed in one of the city's most significant 19th-century buildings. It exhibits paleontological and archaeological finds of the area, from prehistory to the Middle Ages. You will find objects from the main sites of the upper Nuoro and Baronie regions, from the sacred spring Su Tempiesu in Orune to the nuragic village of sa Sedda 'e sos Carros in Oliena, to finds from the 'mythical' Castello della Fava in Posada.

At the end of the visit, the path takes on a spiritual dimension, ideally reconnecting with the origin of the itinerary: a kilometre northwards will take you to the Church of Madonna della Solitudine, on the slopes of Mount Ortobene. Grazia Deledda rests there. You will be impressed by the bronze door made by Eugenio Tavolara, the ancient seventeenth-century bell kept inside and the atmosphere of peace and serenity outside its walls. From here, you can extend the route to the top of the mountain that watches over Nuoro from above and admire the view next to the imposing bronze statue of the Redentore (the Redeemer), the destination of a passionate procession during the great festival at the end of August.