Curiosities

Since 2001 the Ogliastrian territory has been object of study by the researchers of the Centro Nazionale Ricerche di Cagliari (National Research Centre of Cagliari) together with the Institute for Aging of the National Institute of Health of the United States.

Lanusei enjoys a very particular climatic situation because of the nearby mountains of the Gennargentu as well as the short distance from the coast.

The Ogliastrian territory contains an elevated variety of flora, as well as a high amount of endemisms. A lot of plants, thanks to the isolation due to the insularity, have developed unique characteristics.

The Ogliastrian mountains are rich of wild fauna and the emblem of them is the moufflon, perfectly suited for these environments, as well as the Golden eagle, the Sardinian buck and the fallow deer.

The last and only Sardinian artisan briar pipe builder lives in Lanusei. The manufacture of briar, from finding the wood to working it('a ciocchi') , has been almost entirely abandoned, because the industrial pipe manufacturers prefer to buy the wood from those countries where it is cheaper.

The small village of Urzulei, on the border with the Barbagia and about 50 km from Lanusei, still preserves ancient customs and traditions that are handed over from generation to generation.

The region Ogliastra retains the record of centenaries in Sardinia. It has recently been discovered that the famous Cannonau, one of the most representative Sardinian wines worldwide, could be a true long life elisir.