Gallura and Costa Smeralda · Provincia della Gallura Nord-Est Sardegna

Things to do in Berchidda

Things to do in Berchidda, Sardinia: Time in Jazz festival, Wine Museum and Vermentino, Monte Acuto castle, Limbara hikes, local food and tips.

Berchidda, Sardegna — © Gianni Careddu · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

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Berchidda is a village of about 2,500 people in north-east Sardinia, 300 metres up at the foot of the southern slopes of Monte Limbara, about 40 minutes from Olbia. It's known across Italy for Time in Jazz, the festival founded by trumpeter Paolo Fresu, who was born here, and for Vermentino di Gallura, Sardinia's only DOCG wine (the top Italian quality label), celebrated in its own museum. Around the village lie cork-oak woods, granite outcrops, archaeological sites and the ruins of a medieval castle. It's ideal for lovers of music, wine, hiking and authentic inland Sardinia.

What to see in Berchidda

The Wine Museum

At the foot of Sant'Alvara hill, the Museo del Vino traces the history of winemaking in Sardinia, from traditional tools to modern techniques. Next door is the Regional Enoteca, where you can taste and buy the island's wines: a must if you want to understand Vermentino.

Monte Acuto castle

On a hilltop near the village, at about 500 metres, stand the walls, a tower and a cistern of the medieval Monte Acuto castle. It was a political and military stronghold fought over by Sardinian rulers, Pisans, Genoese and Catalans; in 1237 Queen Adelasia handed it to Pope Gregory IX. The view from the top over the plain and Limbara is superb.

The churches

In the centre, the parish church of San Sebastiano holds a Baroque wooden altar, while the Rosario church dates from the 1600s. In the countryside stand the 17th-century country churches of Santa Caterina and Sant'Andrea, surrounded by nature, which become concert venues during the festival.

Archaeology

The area has been inhabited since the Neolithic and has dolmens, domus de janas (rock-cut tombs), giants' tombs and nuraghi (Bronze Age stone towers), as well as tafoni, granite hollows used for centuries as shelters.

Things to do in Berchidda

Hiking on Limbara: trails through holm oaks, cork oaks and granite to the highest peaks, including Punta Sa Berritta at 1,362 metres; you may spot red deer, fallow deer, mouflon and birds of prey.
Wine tastings at the museum, the enoteca and local wineries.
Cycling and mountain biking through vineyards, cork woods and around nearby Lake Coghinas.
Archaeology walks and the climb to Monte Acuto castle.
Live music during Time in Jazz, with concerts also in natural settings and country churches.

Scroll down: below you'll find the hikes and experiences offered by local operators in Berchidda and the area, ready to book.

History

Dolmens, rock-cut tombs and giants' tombs show very early settlement, followed by many nuraghi. In Roman times the village was a junction on the road between Olbia and Turris Libisonis (Porto Torres). In the Middle Ages it belonged to the Giudicato (medieval Sardinian kingdom) of Torres, in the Monte Acuto district, named after the castle. After Adelasia's death the castle passed to the Doria family and then to the Giudicato of Arborea, the last stronghold against the Aragonese. After Arborea fell in 1420, Berchidda became a Spanish fief until it bought its freedom in 1839. Today it lives on sheep farming, cork and wine, and on culture: the "Bernardo Demuro" town band, where Paolo Fresu started playing, is over a century old.

What to eat and buy

The signature dish is suppa cuatta, stale bread soaked in mutton broth with fresh and aged pecorino, baked in the oven. Also try maccarones furriados, the filled pasta called sas laldadinas and sospiri, little almond sweets. Take home Vermentino di Gallura DOCG, pecorino cheese, cured meats and cork crafts.

Festivals and traditions

Time in Jazz, a week around 15 August, since 1988: concerts day and night in the square, in the woods and in country churches.
Country feasts of San Marco (25 April), San Michele (mid-May) and Santa Caterina (early June), with traditional food and costumes.
Sheep fair, in May, celebrating local livestock farming.

The local language is Sardinian in its northern Logudorese variety.

Nearby

Lake Coghinas and Oschiri, with the church of Nostra Signora di Castro on the lakeshore.
Monti, another Vermentino village, a few minutes away.
Tempio Pausania, on the other side of Limbara, about 45 minutes away.
Olbia and the north-east coast, about 40 minutes away.

Getting there and when to go

The nearest airport is Olbia Costa Smeralda, about 40 minutes' drive along the SS597; Olbia port is also about 40 minutes away. The village has a station on the Cagliari-Olbia railway. August is Time in Jazz month (book early); spring and autumn are perfect for hiking on Limbara and the country feasts, and autumn also brings the grape harvest.