Ogliastra

Lanusei, together with Tortolì is the main town of the province of Ogliastra and is situated between the buttresses of the Gennargentu massif and the coast. The town, with a population of about 6000 inhabitants, is an important administrative centre with the court and a well equipped hospital.
In the town’s centre we find the cathedral of Saint Maria Maddalena, seat of the archbishop's palace going back to 1860 but of seventeenth-century foundation, where it is possible to admire the cycle of frescos devoted to the life of the Maddalena and Christ, realized in 1927 by Mario Delitala, one of the most important protagonists of the Sardinian painting of the XX century.
Also of notable interest is the Diocesan Museum of Ogliastra, situated on the premises of the Episcopalian Seminar in the central Via Roma. To the West of the town we find the forest “Selene with its archaeological area constituted by an old nuragic village and two Giants’tombs.

From Lanusei it takes only a few minutes to reach the beautiful beaches of the Ogliastra, the mountains of the Gennargentu, the lake of the upper Flumendosa, the caves of Ulassai and the “tacchi” of Ulassai and Jerzu, and in the nearby mountains Armidda we can visit the same named Observatory.

The Hotel Villa Selene is situated at about 25 km from the coast of the Ogliastra. Along the Ogliastrian coast we find Barisardo (15 km from the Hotel) and Tortolì (18 km from the hotel) with their beautiful beaches of finest white sand, and the more or less deep grounds.
The enchanting Lido di Orrì-beach ( at 2 km from Tortolì) presents several caves, each one with beautiful little beaches. Orrì is a large beach about 16 km long, the most important beach of the entire Lido di Orrì is ‘Il Golfetto’, between Orrì and Cea, signed by a big stone by the road with its name painted on it. The marvellous beach of Cea is situated on the coast South from Capo Bellavista between Tortolì and Barisardo. It is very long, with fine white sand. At South it is delimited by a rocky tongue known as ‘Punta Niedda’, further on we find the volcanic rock ‘Teccu’. This beach is characterized and easily recognizable by the beautiful tall red rocks (faraglioni) at only a few meters from the shore.
Arbatax (23 km from the hotel), a small fishermen’s village, famous for its red rocks, which are considered an absolute naturalistic monument, scenery of concerts and events such as the “Rocce Rosse Blues Festival”
Santa Maria Navarrese (27 km from the hotel), with its marina and its group of ancient olive trees.

At 32 km from the hotel, in the territory of Baunei, we find the famous Ogliastrian coves, the iridescent waters, the stony backdrops, the uncontaminated nature: the best known are Cala Mariolu, which is found in a zone rich in caves as the ‘Cave of the Fig tree’; Cala Sisine, flanked by two high and steep rocks which give the location an unusual mountainous aspect; Porto Cuau, with a rocky ground , surrounded by tall walls of rock; Cala Goloritze', one of the most beautiful small coves of the Mediterranean, already become national monument: the tiny beach is sprinkled with small white pebbles and another particularity is given by an arc lengthening itself toward the sea and by the imposing steeple of ‘Punta Goloritzé’, obligatory destination forced for all climbers; Cala Luna (Moon Cave), a splendid long tongue o beach with the Cave of the Sea Ox (Grotta del Bue Marino).
All the coves of the Ogliastrian coast can be approached as well from the land over the mule paths departing from the highland of Baunei.

Ogliastra is rich of archaeological areas that testify of settlements in Sardinia since the prehistoric and the nuragical era. From the hotel they are easily approachable: pre-nuragical and nuragical monument disseminated on the whole Ogliastrian territory and open to the visitors, giants' graves erected in memory and celebration of the dead ones, sacred sources for the cult of the gods and Domus de Janas, typical of Sardinia, sepulchral structures dug into the rock, term meaning ‘houses of the fairies or ‘of the witches’.
Nearby Lanusei we find the Selene wood, from which the hotel takes its name, defined ‘Archaeological Park’ because of its position inside a dense wood of different kinds of oaks of an ancient nuragical village; near Ilbono (only 3,5 km from the hotel) we find the archaeological area and the Domus de Janas of Scerì, set on a granite tower near the river Tèscere; near Osini (22 km from the hotel) it is possible to visit the archaeological site Serbissi, situated on the "Taccu" of Osini, suggestive natural fortress made of steep calcareous walls, which dominates Ogliastra and Barbagia and the nuragical complex of Urceni, Sanu and Oruttu. At Tortolì, (18 km from the hotel) the area of S'Ortali 'e Su Monti; near Villagrande Strisaili (17 km from the hotel) it is possible to visit S'arcu is Forros, archaeological complex of notable dimensions, characterized by a great temple "a megaron" and by other buildings of cult and housing; the area of Sa Carcaredda and the grave of giants Troculu, burial that still preserves the tomb body.

The natural monuments of Sardinia place are a matter of great interest of the Sardinian coast, and in Ogliastra it is possible to admire several of them. At 23 km from the hotel, at Ulassai, we find the caves “Su Marmuri”, considered to be among the most imposing caves in Europe, with a height that reaches 70 meters; at Baunei (32 km from the hotel) the “Cave of the Fig tree”, one of the most beautiful and important caves in Sardinia; near Baunei, it is possible to admire the Golgo, canyon of karst origin, one of the deepest caves in Sardinia and among the most unusual in Europe.

Perd e' Liana, natural monument constituted by a vertical tower, a so-called heel or, in Sardinian dialect: "tonneri", reaching toward the sky for 1293 m; Pedra Longa, a sharp pinnacle 128 m tall falling into the sea, has become the symbol of a wild Sardinia for its uncontaminated naturalistic condition; Tthe very famous Punta Goloritzè, situated in the homonym cove, real natural sculpture of pyramidal shape, given by the erosion of a spur of rock shaped by the waters and by the wind, that raises for 100 m height.
In the near Osini and Santa Maria Navarrese (Baunei) it is possible to visit, in order, the Staircase of St. George, an ample gorge situated at an altitude of 870-928 m over the sea level, which offers sceneries of spectacular beauty and the Parco Urbano of Santa Maria Navarrese, situated near the church of Santa Maria of Navarra, formed from wreckages of Mediterranean forest and from big olive trees qualified as natural monuments, the most elevated of them reaches 13 m of height with a stem circumference of 8 meters.
A little further away, in the Barbagia of Seulo, at 60 km from the hotel, it is possible to admire the Caves of Sadali, also called ‘Is Janas because of a legend according to which this hollow, once, was inhabited by the “janas”, very susceptible fairies that, when irritated, turned the unlucky person held responsible to witches and inflicted punishments.

The mountain range of the Supramonte in Sardinia extends for about 35.000 sq.km and includes the territories of Oliena, Orgosolo, Urzulei, Dorgali and Baunei.
The state route S.S. 125, otherwise called ‘Sardinian Oriental’, separates the mountainous Supramonte (Oliena, Orgosolo, Urzulei) from the marine part of it (Dorgali and Baunei). In the area of the Supramonte there are several possible excursions practicable, thanks to some still existing ancient bridle paths, paths and stairways of common juniper, leading to explore a territory which fascinates for the wild and unspoilt nature of its environment.
The specific area of the Supramonte of Urzulei is characterized by a scenery with waterfalls, precious sources, impressive natural grottos, nuraghic remains and evocative natural monuments, such as the 22 km long canyon excavated by the Rio Flumineddu originating the ravine of ‘Su Gorroppu’ with its over 400 m high walls. ‘Su Gorroppu’ is situated at the boundaries of the Supramonte of Orgosolo, named after the town famous for its ‘murales’ (mural paintings).
The state-owned forest of Montes, a primary forest of centuries-old tens of meters high holm oaks, which have never been cut, constitutes an invaluable spectacle of the Supramonte of Orgosolo.
And the marine Supramonte is as evocative as the other with the crystal blue water of the gulf of Orosei, crossed by long ‘codulas’ ending by the sea with delightful beaches such as ‘Cala Fuili’ and ‘Cala Luna’.

The Gennargentu is a large mountain range located in the central-eastern Sardinia, between the province of Nuoro and the province of Ogliastra.
In order to protect the natural and biological resources, in 1998 the National Park of the Gennargentu was established, it includes the most inaccessible and wild environments of all Sardinia.

The mountainous area of the park is characterized by true natural monuments, such as the Gorroppu Gorge, the crater of Su Suercone and the karst area of Su Sterru, forests of oak trees and Mediterranean macchia, as well as two important rivers, the Cedrino and the Flumendosa.

The principal rivers of Ogliastra are the Flumendosa, the Flumineddu and the Pelau.
Part of the provincial territory are the two Lakes of the Flumendosa, the more important one is the High Lake of Flumendosa, situated near Villanova Strisaili, common of Villagrande, on an ample highland on 850m.
The lake reaches the slopes of the Gennargentu, among primary woods of oak trees and rich bush, the ideal ground for mouflons and other deer of the Sardinian wild fauna. The lake can be visited in every season of the year: in winter to admire the panorama of the lake and the mountains of the Gennargentu white with snow, in spring when nature and the green are re-awakening to new life, in autumn for trekking or bicycle tours around the lake, and in summer for some pleasant canoeing on the lake during the day and breathing the fresh air of the surrounding highlands in the evening.

In Ogliastra, even more than in the other parts of Sardinia, it is possible to admire and to emerge into a wild and unspoilt nature. The Selene forest, nearby Lanusei, is an oak wood with many paths practicable afoot and by bike, where poplars, chestnut trees and many species of the Mediterranean bush are found. Interesting the presence of the purple digitalis, a plant with the characteristic violet flowers, once exploited for its cardiotonic properties.
In the wildlife-oasis of the Sardinian Deer, in the Supramonte of Urzulei (47 km from the hotel), there are important wreckages of the secular forest of oak trees and majestic junipers, rare wild orchids, the peony and a variety of endemisms. Vultures and the majestic golden eagle, among the others, detach their flight from these slopes.
Moufflons, wild boars, wild cats, the marten and the fox find the ideal habitat conditions in this area. This location has been selected to bring the Sardinian deer back to the Supramonte.

In Ogliastra the eno-gastronomy, unmistakable and inimitable, is still extremely bound to its nature and its culture and the Ogliastra is considered a desirable destination of the most refined gourmets. The traditional Ogliastrian cuisine is based on the products of the soil and breeding and is at the same time simple but variegated. Also the way of cooking is still tied to the ancient traditions: in Ogliastra it is still custom to roast the meats over open fires, such as goat, sheep or suckling-pig, a rite of millennial tradition handed down to our days.
Ogliastra is famous for the hams, produced in the most internal zones.( The most famous ham factories of the Ogliastra are located in Talana (34 km from the hotel) at Villagrande Strisaili (17 km) and Urzulei (47 km), , while in the coastal area the dishes are basically fish and sea-food. Famous and recommended are the cheeses, such as the pecorino or the characteristic "casu axedu, excellent to be tasted with a piece of the crisp ‘pistoccu’, the typical Ogliastrian bread in layers made of whole wheat flour, yeast, salt, bran and water. Also to be tasted the extravergin olive oils (produced mainly in the Ilbono area) which have obtained the designation DOP oil and other prices both in Italy and abroad.
Other traditional Ogliastrian dishes are the ‘Culurgiones’, stuffed ravioli shaped by hand. They look like half-moons made of stuffed pasta, closed in a special way to get the shape of an ear of corn. The dough is made of flour of bran, eggs, water, lard and salt, while the stuffing is prepared with potatoes and cheese, either ‘pecorino’ or ‘viscidu’ (an acid dried cheese). Once they got boiled in salt water, they are served with tomato sauce sprinkled with ‘pecorino’ cheese. In the area of Villagrande Strisaili they are also cooked on the grill or in the pan, or simply cooked with just a sprinkling of pecorino cheese, or fried. The ‘culurgiones’ are a typical dish prepared in every village of the Ogliastra, but interesting customizations of the recipe can be sampled in Jerzu (28 km from the Hotel Villa Selene), Lotzorai (23 km), Osini (22km), Ulassai (23 km) and Villagrande Strisaili (17km).
Among the culinary specialties of the Ogliastra we remind of"Sa coccoi 'e cibudda", a focaccia made of onions and fresh or dried tomatoes and cooked in the oven and the ‘Coccoi Prena’, a sort of pie filled with potatoes, cheese and spices and cooked in the oven. Last not least, "Trattalia": offal, made of liver, lung, heart and spleen cut into pieces, alternated with bits of belly fat, covered by the 'nappa' and tied up with the intestine and cooked on the spit
Also the traditional Ogliastrian production of sweets is worth to be noticed. In occasion of celebrations, village feasts or other special events, the traditional sweets are prepared with simple and genuine ingredients such as dried fruit, honey, local cottage cheese and other cheeses, raisins and cooked must (called “saba”). The “seada” or “sebada” could be the most famous Sardinian sweet or dessert known outside Sardinia, it consists in two slices of dough filled with a stuffing of fresh ewe’s cheese and water, grated lemon peel and sugar, deep fried in very hot oil and sprinkled with sugar or honey.
Not to forget the wine of Ogliastra, the most famous among them is the ‘Cannonau’, which is cultivated in the vineyards of the hills of Jerzu and the neighbouring areas, but also “s’abba ardenti”, brandy, used both as alcoholic drink and to cure various illnesses.
Every zone of the Ogliastra represents some typical culinary characteristics, so much so that each area can be recognized and countersigned on enogastronomic itineraries according to the traditional dishes produced in each single zone.