Holiday apartment in Oliena: mountains, karst springs and Sardinian history

Oliena appeals to travellers who want to combine mountain landscapes, nature and Sardinian history. Monte Corrasi is considered a trekking destination in Sardinia. Trail B-401 connects the centre of Oliena with the summit of Monte Corrasi and provides access to Pradu. When choosing a holiday apartment in Oliena, you can therefore focus your trip on mountain trails, karst landscapes, archaeology or living traditions.

Monte Corrasi: hiking with botanical detail

Monte Corrasi is home to more than 70 endemic flowering plant species, including the rare Ribes sardoum Martelli. This botanical feature adds a close look at the plant life to the trekking experience. This gives you a nature experience that combines exercise and observation without reducing the mountain to its trails alone.

Karst water and caves in the Supramonte

Su Gologone is a karst spring at the foot of Monte Uddè in Oliena’s Supramonte. It forms a small lake between high dolomitic rock walls. Its clear and remarkably deep waters regularly attract numerous cave divers from around the world, who venture into the underground meanders. Sa Nurre de su Hoda also offers a special cave perspective: the lower entrance is an artificially widened passage that leads visitors into a magnificent chamber richly equipped with calc sinter formations.

Archaeology from the Copper Age to the Nuragic period

Biriai is a Copper Age village and an archaeologically exceptionally significant site. Excavations at Biriai in 1979 uncovered a megalithic sanctuary and a group of twelve menhirs; two of them are still standing today. Sa Sedda ’e sos Carros was a Nuragic village inhabited between 1200 and 700 BC. The site features a circular sacred spring with limestone ram heads, as well as a stepped ceremonial basin. These installations were connected with water ceremonies; people probably performed purification rituals in the basin. The oldest traces of Homo sapiens in Sardinia were found in Grotta Corbeddu, including a 22,000-year-old hand phalanx.

Embroidery, festival pastries and Nepente

Craftsmanship and festival culture shape Oliena in different ways. The work of the embroiderers in Oliena remains vibrant and highly sought after and has developed into an independent tourist attraction. Each of the public festivals—including Easter, Sant’Antonio Abate, San Lussorio, All Saints’ Day and Carnival—features a typical sweet pastry. Gabriele D’Annunzio gave the wine from Oliena the name Nepente. The area around Oliena is also home to several wild olive trees with circumferences of up to 6 metres.

A holiday apartment suited to your travel interests

For a holiday apartment or holiday home in Oliena, you can clearly shape your travel plans: B-401 and Monte Corrasi represent an active focus, Su Gologone and the caves are ideal for nature and discovery days, while Biriai, Sa Sedda ’e sos Carros and Grotta Corbeddu appeal to those interested in archaeology. The embroiderers, festival pastries and Nepente add a cultural and culinary accent. This allows you to view accommodation according to your preferred mix of activity, history, nature and local specialities, without allowing a single theme to determine the trip.

More places for planning your trip

Birori, Orgosolo, Sarule, Ottana, Lodè, Mamone, Onanì and Gavoi

For the higher-level travel overview: Nuoro.