Oristano and Sinis · Provincia di Oristano

Things to do in Norbello

Things to see in Norbello, Sardinia: Santa Maria della Mercede, nuraghi and sacred springs, a comics museum and the Chenale valley.

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

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Norbello (Norghiddo in Sardinian), home to about 1,100 people, sits on the Abbasanta plateau in the Guilcer district, roughly 35 km from Oristano and 17 km from Macomer. Basalt-paved streets, dark stone facades and flower-filled balconies welcome you, while the countryside around is packed with nuraghi, giants' tombs and sacred springs. From the village you can see as far as Lake Omodeo. It is ideal for lovers of archaeology, Romanesque churches and nature, and it even has a comics museum.

What to see in Norbello

Church of Santa Maria della Mercede

The village gem is a late 12th-century Romanesque church built over an early medieval cemetery. Inside are ten consecration crosses painted in red minium and old inscriptions scratched into the walls.

Other churches

The parish church of Santi Quirico e Giulitta has a Romanesque layout reworked over the centuries. San Giovanni Battista is documented as early as 1265. About 8 km away stands Sant'Ignazio da Laconi, consecrated in 1951, the first church dedicated to this Capuchin saint, surrounded by muristenes for pilgrims.

Archaeology

The area has around thirty nuraghi, including the Sirboniga and Suei complexes and the single towers of Ruiu and Perdu Cossu, plus eleven giants' tombs, six sacred springs such as Ampridorzos, dolmens and domus de janas rock-cut cemeteries. Don't miss Sa Codina 'e s'Ispreddosu, an unfinished nuraghe later used for worship. Some finds are kept in the village antiquarium.

MIDI comics museum

The Museum of Image and Interactive Design tells the story of comics through thousands of issues on display: a hit with all ages.

Domusnovas Canales

This hamlet in the Chenale valley gathers around the church of San Giorgio. The medieval village of Sella once stood nearby; its ruins, called "castel di Sella", were probably a lookout tower of the Giudicato.

Things to do in Norbello

The Chenale valley, with oak woods, scrub, wild orchids and springs, is perfect for hiking. A bike or car tour of the plateau's nuraghi and sacred springs fills a day. Anglo-Arab-Sardinian horses are bred here, so a horseback ride is the most authentic way to enjoy the countryside. Scroll down for experiences from local operators.

History

Inhabited since the Neolithic and densely in Nuragic times, the area has also yielded Punic-Roman cinerary urns. In the Middle Ages it belonged to the Guilcer district of the Giudicato of Arborea; after 1420 it passed to the Aragonese and then to the marquisate of Sedilo until 1839. In 1862 its official name changed from Norghiddo to Norbello.

Food and shopping

Norbello has a strong weaving and farming tradition. Festivals are the time to taste local cheese, cured meats and sweets; September is wine month.

Festivals and traditions

Bonfires of Sant'Antonio abate: January.
Santi Quirico e Giulitta, the patron saints: mid-July.
Sant'Ignazio da Laconi: mid-September, with a pilgrimage.
Feast of the Mercede: 24 September.
Old-style grape harvest festival: September.

Nearby

Nuraghe Losa in Abbasanta, a few minutes away.
Ghilarza and Lake Omodeo.
Santu Lussurgiu and the Montiferru hills.
Macomer and Nuraghe Santa Barbara.

Getting there and when to go

Norbello is a few minutes from the SS131 highway (Abbasanta exit); the nearest station is Abbasanta. Alghero airport is about an hour and a quarter by car, Cagliari about an hour and a half. September is the liveliest month for festivals; spring and autumn are ideal for walking.