Barbagia: Orgosolo and the Murals of Rebellion

The Barbagia is the most isolated and mysterious region of Sardinia, a labyrinth of mountains and valleys in the heart of the island that the Romans never fully managed to conquer (the name "Barbagia" comes from "Barbaria," what the Romans called this untamed land). For centuries, the Barbagia was a land of shepherds, bandits and vendetta, a closed society governed by unwritten codes of honour that survived on the margins of Italian law well into the twentieth century. Orgosolo, the most famous village of the Barbagia, was for decades the village with the highest murder rate in all of Italy.

The murals of Orgosolo are the most striking artistic expression of the Barbagia. Since 1969, the village walls have been gradually covered with political and social murals painted by local artists and visitors, creating an open-air gallery of more than 150 works that tell the story of Sardinian resistance, the struggle against military oppression, the world wars, social injustice and the cultural identity of a people who refuse to be tamed. The murals of Orgosolo are comparable in intensity to those of Belfast or the Zapatista murals in Chiapas.

The roads of the Barbagia are a pure riding pleasure: narrow, winding, with variable tarmac, and surrounded by a landscape of mountains cloaked in holm oaks, cork oaks and strawberry trees that seems to belong to another era. The SP22 between Nuoro and Orgosolo, the SP46 between Orgosolo and Fonni, and the SP7 towards Desulo are roads of continuous curves with virtually no traffic, where bike and rider enter a state of total flow. Fonni, at 1,000 metres altitude, is the highest village in Sardinia.

The gastronomy of the Barbagia is the most archaic and powerful in Sardinia. The porceddu (suckling pig roasted on a spit over holm oak and myrtle wood) reaches its most perfect expression here: the skin crackling, the meat juicy, the scent of myrtle permeating everything. The pecorino sardo cheese of the Barbagia is stronger and more pungent than that of the coast: aged for months in natural caves, with a dark rind and an interior that can be creamy or crumbly depending on maturation. Pane frattau (layers of pane carasau with tomato, poached egg and pecorino) is the quintessential Barbagian dish.

Practical riding info: the Barbagia is accessible year-round, but in winter it can snow above 1,000 metres (Fonni sees snow several days a year). Roads are in variable condition: the main ones (SP22, SP46) are decent; secondary roads can have potholes and gravel. Fuel stations in Nuoro and Fonni; few options between the smaller villages. For the authentic experience, stay at an agriturismo in the area and dine on spit-roasted porceddu in the courtyard, under the stars of the Barbagia.