The Supramonte is a mountain range located in central-eastern

Sardinia Sardinia ( ; it, Sardegna, label= Italian, Corsican and Tabarchino ; sc, Sardigna , sdc, Sardhigna; french: Sardaigne; sdn, Saldigna; ca, Sardenya, label= Algherese and Catalan) is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, af ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

. It lies northeast of the

Gennargentu Gennargentu (; sc, Ghennarghentu ) is a large massif in central-southern Sardinia, Italy, encompassing the provinces of Nuoro and Ogliastra. It includes the highest peaks on the island, such as Punta La Marmora (), Monte Spada (), Punta Er ...

massif, traveling eastwards until it reaches the

Tyrrhenian Sea The Tyrrhenian Sea (; it, Mar Tirreno , french: Mer Tyrrhénienne , sc, Mare Tirrenu, co, Mari Tirrenu, scn, Mari Tirrenu, nap, Mare Tirreno) is part of the Mediterranean Sea off the western coast of Italy. It is named for the Tyrrhenian pe ...

at the

Gulf of Orosei A gulf is a large inlet from the ocean into the landmass, typically with a narrower opening than a bay, but that is not observable in all geographic areas so named. The term gulf was traditionally used for large highly-indented navigable bodies ...

. It has an area of about 35,000 hectares, encompassing most of the territories of the ''

comuni The (; plural: ) is a local administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions ('' regioni'') and provinces (''province''). The can also ...

'' (municipalities) of Baunei,

Dorgali Dorgali ( sc, Durgali) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Nuoro in the Italian region Sardinia, located about northeast of Cagliari and about east of Nuoro in the Seaside Supramonte mountain area. Economy is mostly based on th ...

Oliena Oliena (, less correctly ; sc, Ulìana ) is a commune in the province of Nuoro, Sardinia, Italy. History The territory of Oliena has been inhabited since the Palaeolithic Era until today. The first proofs about the above-mentioned presences ...

Orgosolo Orgosolo ( sc, Orgòsolo) is a '' comune'' (municipality) located in the Province of Nuoro, in the autonomous region of Sardinia, at about north of Cagliari Cagliari (, also , , ; sc, Casteddu ; lat, Caralis) is an Italian municipality ...

and Urzulei. The populated areas of these ''comuni'' lie at the borders of the Supramonte, which, for the most part, is a largely uninhabited area of sharp limestone cliffs and deep, lush canyons.

Geography

Its highest peak is

Monte Corrasi Monte Corrasi is a mountain in the territory of Oliena, Province of Nuoro, eastern Sardinia, Italy. It is a massif formed by white limestone and dolomite Dolomite may refer to: *Dolomite (mineral), a carbonate mineral *Dolomite (rock), also ...

(1,463 m), and the average altitude of the chain is about 900 m. The Supramonte is characterized by

Karstic Karst is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble rocks such as limestone, dolomite, and gypsum. It is characterized by underground drainage systems with sinkholes and caves. It has also been documented for more weathering-resistant r ...

highlands in which rivers have created deep ravines and canyons. The rivers flow mostly underground, creating several caves, such as the

Grotta del Bue Marino Grotta may refer to: * Grotto (Italian: ''Grotta''), a small natural or artificial cave * Grótta, a tied island in Seltjarnarnes, Iceland * Grótta Sports Club in Iceland * , an archaeological site in Naxos after which the Grotta-Pelos culture ...

, the

Grotta di Ispinigoli The Grotta di Ispinigoli is a karst cave in the Supramonte range, near Dorgali, Sardinia, Italy. Overview One of the largest caves on the island, it contains the tallest column, the tallest in Europe and one of the tallest in the world, measurin ...

(with the highest ''

column A column or pillar in architecture and structural engineering is a structural element that transmits, through compression, the weight of the structure above to other structural elements below. In other words, a column is a compression member ...

'' in Europe, measuring 38 m), and the caves of Sa O'he ("The outlet", for the fact that there lies a little lake within, and it has a tributary river which pours out of the cave) and Su Bentu ("The Wind"). Springs such as

Su Gologone Su Gologone is a karst spring in the Supramonte range northeast of Oliena, in the province of Nuoro, Sardinia, Italy. From the source in Oliena, a short stream originates which feeds the Cedrino The Cedrino is a river that flows in the provinc ...

can also be found. Other notable features on the range include the Plain of Donani'horo, the

sinkhole A sinkhole is a depression or hole in the ground caused by some form of collapse of the surface layer. The term is sometimes used to refer to doline, enclosed depressions that are locally also known as ''vrtače'' and shakeholes, and to openi ...

of Su Sercone (in Orgosolo's language "Su Siel'hone"), the deep

ravine A ravine is a landform that is narrower than a canyon and is often the product of streambank erosion.Gorropu and the

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms wh ...

mountain of Monte Novo San Giovanni (1,316 m). The so-called "Supramonte Marino" ("Seaside Supramonte", to distinguish it from the inner "Supramonte Montano", "Mountain Supramonte") lies within the territories of Dorgali and Baunei, bordering the Gulf of Orosei and includes several renowned beaches (Cala Luna, Cala Sisine, Cala Mariolu, Cala Goloritzé) that are often located at the end of deep valleys called ''codulas''.

Archeology

In prehistoric times, the Supramonte area was more densely populated than it is today, as attested by traces of at least 76 villages, 46

nuraghe The nuraghe (, ; plural: Logudorese Sardinian , Campidanese Sardinian , Italian ), or also nurhag in English, is the main type of ancient megalithic edifice found in Sardinia, developed during the Nuragic Age between 1900 and 730 B.C ...

s, 14

dolmen A dolmen () or portal tomb is a type of single-chamber megalithic tomb, usually consisting of two or more upright megaliths supporting a large flat horizontal capstone or "table". Most date from the early Neolithic (40003000 BCE) and were so ...

s, 40

Giants' grave Giants' tomb (Italian: '' Tomba dei giganti'', Sardinian: ''Tumba de zigantes'' / ''gigantis'') is the name given by local people and archaeologists to a type of Sardinian megalithic gallery grave built during the Bronze Age by the Nuragic civi ...

s, 17

holy well A holy well or sacred spring is a well, spring or small pool of water revered either in a Christian or pagan context, sometimes both. The water of holy wells is often thought to have healing qualities, through the numinous presence of its gua ...

s and 3

megalith A megalith is a large stone that has been used to construct a prehistoric structure or monument, either alone or together with other stones. There are over 35,000 in Europe alone, located widely from Sweden to the Mediterranean sea. The ...

ic walls. Notable archeological sites include the village of Serra Orrios (located slightly north of the northern edge of the limestone lands), which contained about 70 circular huts and two

megaron The megaron (; grc, μέγαρον, ), plural ''megara'' , was the great hall in very early Mycenean and ancient Greek palace complexes. Architecturally, it was a rectangular hall that was surrounded by four columns, fronted by an open, two-co ...

-like temples, and the nuraghe village of

Tiscali Tiscali S.p.a. () is an Italian telecommunications company, based in Cagliari, Sardinia, that provides internet and telecommunications services to its domestic market. It previously had operations in other European nations through its acquisitio ...

, located in a strategically high position between the valleys of Lanaittu and Oddoene. Supramonte do Orgosolo

External links

Gorropu.info - Official website of the most spectacular canyon in Europe

Page at the website of the municipality of Dorgali

{{Authority control Mountains of Sardinia Landforms of Sardinia

Geography

Archeology

See also

External links