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"There is nothing to see in Nuoro: which to tell the truth, is always a relief. Sights are an irritating bore," wrote D.H. Lawrence, though he omitted to mention the town's superb position beneath the soaring peak of Monte Ortobene and opposite the sheer and stark heights of Sopramonte. In many respects NUORO is little different from the other villages of the region, but no place on the island can match its extraordinary literary fame. This was the town Lawrence made for in his Sardinian excursion of 1921, when it appeared to him "as if at the end of the world, mountains rising sombre behind". The best-known Sard poet, Sebastiano Satta (1867-1914) was Nuorese, as was the author Grazia Deledda (1871-1936), who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1927 in recognition of a writing career devoted to recounting the day-to-day trials and passions of local villagers. For Salvatore Satta (1902-75) - no relation to Sebastiano - "Nuoro was nothing but a perch for the crows", as he wrote in his semi-autobiographical masterpiece, The Day of Judgment ; his only work, it was published posthumously to great acclaim. The last century has witnessed few changes in this insular town despite the unsightly apartment blocks, administrative buildings and banks superimposed upon it.
Nuoro's old quarter is the most compelling part of town, spread around the pedestrianized hub of Corso Garibaldi , along which a buzzing passeggiata injects a bit of life into the place. After poking around this area, head up past the duomo to see the town's impressive Museo Etnografico (daily: mid-June to Sept 9am-8pm; Oct to mid-June 9am-1pm & 3-7pm; L5000/?2.58) on Via Antonio Mereu, a ten-minute walk from the Corso. The museum has Sardinia's most comprehensive range of local costumes, jewellery, masks, carpets and other handicrafts, arranged in a modern purpose-built complex. Examples and explanations of traditional musical instruments from around the island are also displayed, together with a fascinating array of old photographs. On Via Deledda, off Piazza San Giovanni, is the Casa di Grazia Deledda (same hours as Museo Etnografico; free), the well-to-do home of Nuoro's literary star, restored and furnished and displaying various photos and mementos. A more contemporary note is sounded in Nuoro's new Museo d'Arte Nuorese , just off the Corso on Via Satta (Tues-Sun: June-Sept 10am-1pm & 4-8pm; Oct-May 10am-1pm & 4.30-8.30pm; L5000/?2.58), a collection of twentieth-century and contemporary art from the whole island, with a preponderance of local artists. Displayed on three floors, the works are refreshingly diverse, and there are also temporary exhibitions of modern Italian art.
Nuoro's traditional face is again to the fore at the town's biggest annual festival , one of the most vibrant events on the island's calendar. Taking place over the penultimate Sunday of August, when dancing and dialect singing are enthusiastically performed, and August 29, the day of a long procession to Mount Ortobene , the Festa del Redentore is the opportunity to see as many as 3000 of Sardinia's local costumes, worn by participants from all over the island, in particular the villages of Barbágia .
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