Sa Barza

Limestone tacco and cave

Ulassai

Vertical walls, a large show cave and the artistic legacy of Maria Lai: the village where limestone became culture.

Ulassai seen from Bruncu Matzeu, on Monte Tisiddu

Ulassai seen from Bruncu Matzeu, on Monte Tisiddu — Photo: Roberto Mura · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Ulassai is built beneath a wall. That position, which for centuries meant sheep farming and isolation, is now the reason the village is known among climbers and cave visitors.

The second reason is artistic: Maria Lai, born here, left interventions spread through the village that tie contemporary art to its fabric. Visiting Ulassai means walking inside a distributed work rather than entering a museum.

The essential answers

What is it?
An inland Ogliastra municipality at the foot of a limestone tacco, known for the Su Marmuri caves, for sport climbing and for the works linked to the artist Maria Lai.
Where is it?
Inland Ogliastra, above the coastal belt, in the area of the limestone tacchi.
Why visit?
Because it holds geology, sport and contemporary art together in a very small space: the cave, the crags and the permanent installations in the village.
How do you get there?
By car from the coast, climbing inland on mountain roads.
When to go?
Spring and autumn are the best seasons for walking and climbing; the cave is visited with a guide, on a schedule to be verified.
What is nearby?
Jerzu, Gairo, the Ogliastra tacchi, the Su Marmuri caves.
Where to stay?
From the coast, based at I Mandorli, Ulassai makes a full day trip.
Ulassai seen from Bruncu Matzeu, on Monte Tisiddu

Where to stay

A base for exploring east Sardinia

From the coast, based at I Mandorli, Ulassai makes a full day trip.

I Mandorli, a base for UlassaiWhere to stay