Orgosolo: Murals, Singing and the Supramonte

Orgosolo can be explored through a range of cultural and landscape themes: murals in the streets, traditional silkworm breeding, polyphonic singing and the landscape of the Supramonte di Orgosolo. Each of these aspects offers a different perspective on the town. When planning your trip, you can decide whether you are particularly interested in the murals, the intangible cultural heritage or the geological formations of the surrounding area.

Murals exploring themes from local life

Around 150 murals adorn the streets of Orgosolo. These collective murals depict the lives of shepherds, poverty and land conflicts. Their subject matter gives the paintings a specific thematic framework: you can view the murals not only as individual works, but also pay attention to the themes they address together. The first mural in Orgosolo was signed by Dioniso in 1969. Dioniso was the collective name of a group of anarchists. The date and signature are a historical point of reference within the local mural tradition.

The approximate number makes clear that these are not just individual murals, but a defining group of paintings in the streets. Their subject matter varies, exploring the lives of shepherds, poverty and land conflicts; at the same time, they are connected by having been created collectively. As you look at them, it may be helpful to distinguish between these two aspects: Which themes stand out, and how are they expressed collectively? This keeps the focus on the murals’ content rather than solely on their number.

Tradition, singing and sound

An older tradition of silkworm breeding is also among Orgosolo’s cultural themes. Its origins go back a long way; the practice was handed down among the town’s women, who used natural selection to preserve the characteristic colouring of this butterfly variety. This tradition combines a specific breeding practice with the knowledge passed down to preserve it. It therefore offers a different perspective from the murals: the focus is not on a visual theme, but on the continuation of a practice and the aim of preserving a distinctive colour.

Orgosolo is also considered the home of Canto a Tenore. This is a form of polyphonic folk singing that has been declared UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage. Those interested in music and living cultural traditions will find a clearly identified connection to the town here. The name describes both the musical form and its association with Orgosolo. Together with silkworm breeding and the murals, it offers a nuanced picture of cultural expression, without suggesting that these different forms are interchangeable.

Sonos is also an immersive museum dedicated to the sounds of Orgosolo. So alongside the visible murals, sound is the focus of its own museum. If you would like to include Sonos in your plans, check the current visiting arrangements before your visit.

The Supramonte di Orgosolo

The Supramonte di Orgosolo offers a landscape perspective. Plateaus, sinkholes, steep cliffs, forests, caves and springs characterize this area. The list encompasses a range of different features: open uplands lie alongside prominent cliffs, while forests, caves and springs are further elements of the landscape. This means the Supramonte cannot be reduced to a single type of landscape.

One specific point of reference is Nuraghe Mereu, which stands at an elevation of 835 metres in the Supramonte di Orgosolo. Its name and elevation anchor this archaeological reference in the landscape described here. You can see it as a complementary perspective alongside the murals and cultural themes: Orgosolo is considered here not only through its images or traditions, but also through a named site in the Supramonte. These different themes thus offer different starting points for deciding what you would like to focus your trip on.

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