Bitti and Things To Do in the area
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The rural village
of Bitti is 565m above the sea level in Barbagia, the
mountains of Nuoro province. The c.3,700 inhabitants are
mainly involved in agriculture, but there is also a strong
tradition of crafts in the village and in the old centre
there are still craftspeople involved in several of the
the region's traditional occupations of woodcarving, wrought
iron, ceramics, and textiles, as well as local food products
such as cheese, preserved meats and traditional breads.
Many of Bitti's
houses are ancient, and narrow alleys wind through the
old centre of the village. The area is steeped in
history, from the prehistoric archeological sites and
nuraghi to the various ancient
churches of the area, all of which have their own feasts
and festivals. To preserve and promote this agricultural
heritage there's a museum dedicated to farming and peasant
history in the centre of Bitti, inside a restored traditional
peasant house. (Museo della Civilita' Contadina e Pastorale)
There's also a
major Nuraghi site nearby, the village Su Romanzesu
which dates back to prehistoric times and is one of the
island's most important nuraghi.
Bitti is a
good centre to tour the hill villages of Barbagia, with
their ancient centres and tradition of painting murals
on the sides of houses. Fonni, Orgosolo and Orune
are among the best known, and are worth a visit at any
time of year. Autumn is very beautiful, with the
changing colours of the trees and quality of the light
among the mountains.
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Barbagia
This
is an area of rugged mountains and wild nature, and its
remoteness and tranquillity means wild pigs, eagles, mouflon
and moutain goats can often be seen. Most of
the Barbagia region is sparsely inhabited, with minimal
industry beyond farming, and there's little traffic and
few tourists. The air is fresh and pure and smells
of mountain herbs.
Su Lithu's staff can help you to explore the area, suggest
routes or arrange guides if you want to tour on foot, horseback
or bicycle.
Nuoro
For
more urban interests, Nuoro is a sizeable city with some
historic sites and a few shops, but isn't particularly focused
on tourism. There's a museum with an ambitious and
interesting programme of temporary art exhibitions, MAN
Museo d'Arte provincia di Nuoro - the 2008 schedule includes
a major Chagall exhibition - so for those interested in
modern or contemporary art it's worth checking the website.
www.museoman.it
Tenores
di Bitti
The
traditional Tenores plainsong of Sardinia, sung by 4 male
voices of different tones (not all Tenors) is an important
tradition in the villages of Nuoro and the Tenores di Bitti
is one of the most famous groups. This "a tenore"
music has been designated by UNESCO as a cultural
treasure, and
Bitti has a museum dedicated to a tenore song. Hear samples on the group's website:
www.tenoresdibitti.com
Cortes Apertas
In the autumn many of the hill villages in Nuoro province open their doors to visitors, to share their culinary and craft heritage. Visitors can enter the historic stone houses, meet their inhabitants and sample their traditional food and wine, or see the local craftspeople at work. The "Autunno in Barbagia” season of Cortes Apertas is September to December. |
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Beaches and Coast
The coast is just 30 mins away, and the Golfo di Orosei and some of Sardinia's most famous, and photogenic, beaches are in easy reach including Cala Gonone and Cala Luna. It's also a straightforward drive north past Olbia to explore the Costa Smeralda, although
traffic is heavy in August. For jazz lovers, there's a major festival each summer with some big names plus local talent, see www.festivalcalagononejazz.it if you're planning
a visit.
To make a booking enquiry contact us at info@naturalsardinia.com, or click through from here to look at Rooms, Food or the main Welcome page. Or follow the menu at the top of the page to find other parts of the site. |
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