Ottana: Romanesque Architecture, Masks and the Tirso Landscape
Accommodation in Ottana
The municipal area of Ottana features diverse vegetation in a river landscape shaped by the Tirso. The area consists of an extensive plain, interrupted only occasionally by hills. At 560 metres, Monte Nieddu is the highest point in the Ottana area. This clear landscape structure provides the natural setting for a journey that combines nature and culture.
File:Ottana - chiesa di San Nicola - 13.jpg
Photo: Margherita1986 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Landscape between the Plain and the Tirso
The Tirso runs along the western side of Ottana and forms Lago Omodeo a few kilometres downstream. Hares, wild ducks, freshwater turtles and corncrakes are found in the habitat near Ottana shaped by the Tirso. The river landscape is therefore also characterised by diverse wildlife. If you are interested in open landscapes and regional nature, Ottana offers a tangible way to experience them through the river, the plain and the animal species found there.
Romanesque Architecture, Art and Archaeological Heritage
The Chiesa di San Nicola in Ottana is an example of Romanesque-Pisan architecture and was built from carefully worked basalt and trachyte blocks. An early medieval, possibly monastic church already stood beneath the church. The Chiesa di San Nicola houses the Pala di Ottana, a 14th-century polyptych from the Tuscan school. At the Chiesa di San Nicola, the carefully worked stone construction and the polyptych housed there come together. The Pala di Ottana is regarded as the first conclusive evidence of a Sardinian court commission oriented towards continental art.
Ottana’s archaeological heritage includes Domus de Janas, dolmens, giants’ tombs, corridor nuraghi, sacred wells, Roman and medieval settlements, and Roman buildings with baths. Nuraghe Bidinnannari, also known as Marasorighes, stands on a 246-metre-high trachyte plateau overlooking the Riu Liscoi. At its core is a corridor nuraghe; two towers were added later.
Masks, Dances and Traditional Customs
During Su Carrasegare in Ottana, wooden Merdules masks and Boes masks with cattle horns are worn; the participants wear sheepskins. The Holy Week rites in Ottana culminate in S’iscravamentu, a religious performance presented theatrically and accompanied by a Tenores choir. Su ballu tzoppu is one of the traditional circle dances and is performed to the rhythm of S’affuente. Sos Merdules traditionally make their first appearance on 17 January during the carnival season. Sa Filonzana spins with a spindle, distaff and wool, and predicts a more or less fortunate or unfavourable future depending on the quality of the wine offered.
S’Angule and Travel Planning
S’Angule is a typical sweet from Ottana, traditionally prepared by families as an ex voto. The sweet is therefore just as much part of Ottana’s traditions as the town’s masks, dances and religious rites. When planning your accommodation for a trip to Ottana, you can set your priorities according to your interests: the landscape and wildlife along the Tirso, architecture and archaeology, or the traditional customs surrounding masks, dance and feast days.
For further travel planning, you can also discover Tiana, Bortigali, Oliena, Torpè, Bitti, Lollove, Birori and Orosei.
For the higher-level travel overview: Nuoro.
