Baronia and Gulf of Orosei · Provincia di Nuoro

Things to do in Lula

Things to see in Lula, Sardinia: San Francesco sanctuary, Sos Enattos mine, the su Battileddu carnival, filindeu pasta and Monte Albo trails.

Lula, Sardegna — © trolvag · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0

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Lula is a village of about 1,200 people in the Baronia, over 500 metres up on the western slopes of Monte Albo, about 35 km from Nuoro. It's famous across Sardinia for the country sanctuary of San Francesco, a pilgrimage site described by Nobel laureate Grazia Deledda, for its archaic carnival and for its old mines. Come here if you love mountains, genuine traditions and places steeped in history.

What to see in Lula

The sanctuary of San Francesco

The best-known place of worship is the sanctuary of St Francis of Assisi, out in the countryside a few kilometres from the village. For centuries pilgrims have come here from all over the Nuoro area, and the autumn feast is the backdrop to Grazia Deledda's novel Elias Portolu.

The village churches

In the village you can visit the parish church of Santa Maria Assunta and two 18th-century churches dedicated to the Virgin: degli Angeli and di Valverde.

Sos Enattos mine

The lead and silver mines of Sos Enattos and Guzzurra-S'Arghentaria are part of Sardinia's Geomining Park. Worked since Roman times, they peaked in the 19th and 20th centuries and closed in the 1990s. Today you can tour the galleries, the ore-washing plant and the machinery.

Archaeology

Prehistory left the domu de janas (rock-cut tomb) of Mannu 'e Gruris and rock shelters called concas. From the Bronze Age come the limestone Littu Ertiches nuraghe, the Punta Casteddu village, the Colovros complex nuraghe and the water-cult temple of Untana 'e Deus.

Things to do in Lula

Monte Albo, an EU Site of Community Importance, rises above a thousand metres with gorges, sinkholes and caves among holm oaks, yews, junipers and scrub; mouflon roam here and golden eagles nest. Trails lead to the sas Piperai canyon, Punta Caterina, the Janna di Murai pass and sa Tumba 'e Nurai, and the limestone walls offer dozens of climbing routes. Find hikes and activities by local operators just below.

History

Nuragic villages and Roman mines, worked by convicts sentenced ad metalla, show how early the area was settled. In the Middle Ages Lula belonged to the Giudicato of Gallura, curatoria of Galtellì-Orosei; it then passed to Pisa and the Aragonese and, from the 15th century, was tied to the barony of Orosei. In 1899 it saw one of Sardinia's first miners' strikes, which ended tragically.

What to eat and buy

The signature dish is su filindeu («threads of God»), an ultra-fine hand-woven pasta tied to the San Francesco pilgrimage and served in mutton broth with fresh cheese. September feasts bring boiled mutton and blood sausage; carnival brings s'aranzada, a sweet of almonds and orange peel.

Festivals and traditions

Sant'Antonio Abate (mid-January): bonfires open the carnival season with songs, wine and sweets.
Carnival: the star is su Battileddu, a figure in black skins with a blackened face, horns and cowbells, followed by «widows». The rite, linked to ancient fertility cults, had been abandoned and returned in 2001.
San Francesco: big feasts at the sanctuary in early May and early October.
September: feasts of the Madonna del Miracolo, San Nicola and San Matteo.

Nearby

Onanì and Bitti, with the Nuragic village-sanctuary of Romanzesu.
Lodè and Tepilora Park.
Siniscola and the coast, with La Caletta and Capo Comino.

Getting there and when to go

Lula is reached from the SS 131 DCN; Olbia airport and port are about an hour's drive away, Nuoro about 40 minutes. Spring and autumn are ideal for Monte Albo; early May and early October coincide with the San Francesco feasts, the weeks before Lent with carnival.