Ozieri

Population: 11,687
Altitude: 390 m. above sea level

Ozieri is the chief town of Logudoro and stands in a natural basin. The town is situated in an area which abounds in pre-Nuragic and Nuragic settlements. In the surrounding hills there are numerous caves which were inhabited as far back as the Stone Age.

However, the most famous of these caves, the Grotto of S. Michele, is situated in the town and has revealed a remarkable number of important pre-Nuragic remains.
In fact, the so-called "Cultura di S. Michele" (Culture of S. Michele), a phenomenon which was diffused all over Sardinia (1800 - 1500 A.C.) gets its name from this impressive cave.

The town was built in 1836 and enjoyed a particularly flourishing period due to the development of modern farming techniques, and the local economy is still based prevalently on agriculture today. The historical town centre of Ozieri is characterised by its high buildings, mainly from the XIX and XX centuries, as well as beautiful examples of Gothic-Aragonese architecture. Among the many beautiful monuments to see in the town there is the Grifoni Fountain, in two shades of marble, built in the 1000s on the site of a previous spring, and the cathedral. The facade of the cathedral was designed by Gaetano Cima, an architect from Cagliari, and inside visitors can admire an important polyptych of the 'Madonna di Loreto', a wonderful piece of artwork by an anonymous painter from the sixteenth century, known as the Maestro of Ozieri.


Things to see:

• The Cathedral of Sant'Antioco Bisarcio. This ancient cathedral of the diocese was built in three separate phases, between the middle of the XI century to the end of the XII century, and is a wonderful example of the Romanesque style which influenced all spheres of art work throughout the island.
  
  
• The Church of S. Nicola. This church was mentioned for the first time in 1135, in a papal bull signed by Pope Innocenzo II, confirming its donation to the 'Vittorino' Order.
  
  
• The Church of S. Sebastiano. The church dates back to the end of the sixteenth century and inside visitors can admire a beautiful, wooden altar from 1696.
  
  
• The Burghidu Nuraghe. This Nuraghe perches on a trachyte hill. The structure is made up of ramparts with three towers and a central keep 15 metres high.
  
  
• The Necropolis of Sos Furrighesos. This vast Necropolis is part of the so-called "Culture of Ozieri" or "of S. Michele" (3300 - 2480 A.C.). It was dug out of the ridge which dominates the valley of the River Butule. Most of the tombs present a raised entrance and are composed of one or more chambers. There are numerous underground vaults, which are decorated with carvings, sculptures and pictures and constitute one of the most interesting examples of artistic figure drawing in pre-Nuragic times in Sardinia.