Places in Lei, Sardinia

Lei is a small centre in the province of Nuoro, in the area of Marghine. The village is right at the feet of the small range that gives its name to the area. This part of Sardinia is less bustling and known than other areas of the island but it will surely win your heart with its rough natural beauty.

The area of Marghine is easily accessible by car from any major town although the trip would take about 2 hours from Cagliari (south) and 1,5 from Olbia (north). The province of Nuoro stretches from the Barbagia, the inland area, up to the coast and the Gulf of Orosei.

It is home of Grazia Deledda, Nobel Prize winner for literature in 1926, and the fascinating ethnographic Museum of Sardinian Life and Traditions hosting a great collection of traditional costumes and crafts, filigree jewellery, woven carpets and tapestries.

Other rooms display life size figures of the agro-pastoral festivals including Mamoiada's mamuthones, with their sheepskins and scowling masks, and Ottana's boes, with their tiny antelope-like masks, huge capes and furry boots.

The areas of Barbagia and Supramonte boasts a green and mountainous landscape with thick forests and rich fauna ideal for walking itineraries, trekking, 4WD or bike excursions preferably in spring and autumn.

The Gulf of Orosei and Gennargentu National Park are home to some rare species of mammals like mouflons and to one of the most important pre-historic Nuragic settlement, Tiscali. While visiting Barbagia you may refer to Oliena, Gavoi and Orgosolo as the main villages, striking you immediately for an atmosphere still anchored to the past.

Moving eastwards to the coast the landscape offers a different view with high cliffs hanging over gorgeous beaches and coves like Cala Mariolu, Cala Goloritzè or Cala Luna. Enchanting and wild at the same time, those beaches are known for their beauty and remoteness, accessible only by boat or through a very difficult, although exciting, walking itinerary.

Have always some water and food with you as there is only one bar located in Cala Luna. Busier tourist resorts, in the north, are Marina di Orosei and Cala Ginepro with the famous caves of Ispinigoli extending for 12 km and partly still unexplored, offering the view of the European highest stalagmite, 38 metres tall.