Central Sardinia
The Sardinian hill town of Orgosolo is famous for its anti-authoritarian streak – inspired by shepherds and immortalised in its street art.
We negotiated our way over 1,000-metre-high mountains, winding by olive trees and ancient dry-stone walls. Breaking the brow of our final hill, we were confronted by the high cliff which walls Orgosolo in on two sides, and there below was the town itself, perched on a steep hillside. As we descended into it we passed the first of what we’d come for – the famous murals.
The arrival of decent roads and the affordability of the ubiquitous little Fiats must have opened up life here significantly, but the mountains remain enough of an obstacle that the area is still among Europe’s most remote and least populated.
Outlaws and bandits benefited from this isolation. For many hundreds of years it was a place to hide the kidnapped and elude the authorities. Its reputation as a place of villainy inspired Vittorio De Seta to make his 1961 film Banditi a Orgosolo (Bandits of Orgosolo), with local shepherds cast in lead roles.
The town’s anti-authoritarian predisposition no doubt came to the fore when, in 1969, it successfully resisted the Italian military’s plan to create a base on common land used by local shepherds. This episode, known as the Pratobello revolution, was commemorated in the first of the murals. These were mostly created by Francesco Del Casino, a local art teacher and communist, who, in the 70s and 80s, worked with disadvantaged youths to begin a trend which would soon replace banditry as Orgosolo’s primary distinction. Huge, cubist graphics recount global social injustices – from Vietnam to Gaza – or call for Sardinian independence. Others simply depict scenes from everyday rural life.
A few tourists do make it here to see the murals, although locals assure us that Orgosolo’s renowned hospitality has always attracted visitors. Don’t expect much in the way of tourist information, although there is a smattering of souvenir shops, from which you can buy an English-language guide to the murals. There are also plenty of old shepherds sitting around who would be happy to chat, but you may have to grapple with the town’s unique dialect.