Nuoro
Encyclopedia
Nuoro (ˈnu.oɾɔ, ˈnuɡoɾɔ) is a city and comune
(municipality) in central-eastern Sardinia
, Italy
, situated on the slopes of the Monte Ortobene
. It is the capital of the Province of Nuoro
. With a population of 36,443 (est. 2009), it is the fifth-largest city in Sardinia.
Birthplace of several renowned artists, including writers, poets, painters, and sculptors, Nuoro hosts some of the most important museums in Sardinia
. It is considered the cultural capital of the region
and referred with the name of "Atene sarda" (Sardinian Athens). Nuoro is the hometown of Grazia Deledda
, the first and only Italian woman to win (1926) the Nobel Prize in Literature.
The earliest traces of human settlement in the Nuoro area (called " the Nuorese") are the so-called Domus de janas
, rock-cut tombs dated at the third millennium BC. However, fragments of ceramics of the Ozieri culture
have also been discovered and dated at c. 3500 BC. The Nuorese was a centre of the Nuragic civilization
(which developed in Sardinia from c. 1500 BC to c. 250 BC), as attested by more than 30 Nuragic sites, such has the village discovered in the countryside of Tanca Manna, just outside Nuoro, which was made of about 800 huts. The Nuorese was crossed by a Roman road which connected Karalis (Cagliari
) to Ulbia (Olbia
). The legacy of the Roman colonization can especially be found in the variety of the Sardinian language
which is still spoken today in Nuoro: Sardu nugoresu is considered the most conservative
language of the Romance
family.
After the fall of the Western Roman Empire
, Sardinia was held first by the Vandals
and then by the Byzantines
. According to the letters of Pope Gregory I
, a Romanized and Christianized culture (that of the provinciales) co-existed with several Pagan cultures (those of the Gens Barbaricina, i.e. "Barbarian People") mainly located in the island's interior. As the Byzantine control waned, the Giudicati
appeared. A small village known as Nugor appears on a medieval map from 1147. In the two following centuries it grew to more than 1000 inhabitants. Nuoro remained a town of average importance under the Aragonese and Spanish domination of Sardinia, until famine and plague struck it in the late 17th century. After the annexion to the Piedmont in the Kingdom of Sardinia
, the town became the administrative center of the area, obtaining the title of city in 1836; in the 19th century it was one of the main cultural centers of Sardinia.
, the SS 129 (Orosei-Macomer), and the SS 389 (Monti-Lanusei). It is connected by train (FdS
) to Macomer and by bus (ARST, Azienda Regionale Sarda Trasporti) to Cagliari, Sassari, Olbia, and to several minor centres in the province and the region. ATP Nuoro's bus system provides service within the city and nearby suburbs.
Comune
In Italy, the comune is the basic administrative division, and may be properly approximated in casual speech by the English word township or municipality.-Importance and function:...
(municipality) in central-eastern Sardinia
Sardinia
Sardinia is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea . It is an autonomous region of Italy, and the nearest land masses are the French island of Corsica, the Italian Peninsula, Sicily, Tunisia and the Spanish Balearic Islands.The name Sardinia is from the pre-Roman noun *sard[],...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, situated on the slopes of the Monte Ortobene
Ortobene
Mount Ortobene is a mountain in the province of Nuoro, in central Sardinia, Italy, close to the town of Nuoro....
. It is the capital of the Province of Nuoro
Province of Nuoro
The Province of Nuoro is a province in the autonomous island region of Sardinia, Italy. Its capital is the city of Nuoro.It has an area of 3,934 km², and a total population of 161,444. The province is divided into 52 comuni, the largest of which are Nuoro , Siniscola , Macomer , and Dorgali...
. With a population of 36,443 (est. 2009), it is the fifth-largest city in Sardinia.
Birthplace of several renowned artists, including writers, poets, painters, and sculptors, Nuoro hosts some of the most important museums in Sardinia
Sardinia
Sardinia is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea . It is an autonomous region of Italy, and the nearest land masses are the French island of Corsica, the Italian Peninsula, Sicily, Tunisia and the Spanish Balearic Islands.The name Sardinia is from the pre-Roman noun *sard[],...
. It is considered the cultural capital of the region
Regions of Italy
The regions of Italy are the first-level administrative divisions of the state, constituting its first NUTS administrative level. There are twenty regions, of which five are constitutionally given a broader amount of autonomy granted by special statutes....
and referred with the name of "Atene sarda" (Sardinian Athens). Nuoro is the hometown of Grazia Deledda
Grazia Deledda
Grazia Deledda was an Italian writer whose works won her the Nobel Prize for Literature for 1926.-Biography:...
, the first and only Italian woman to win (1926) the Nobel Prize in Literature.
History
Domus de Janas
Domus de Janas are a type of pre-historic chamber tombs found in the Mediterranean area, but typically in Sardinia. They consist of several chambers quarried out by the Ozieri and Beaker cultures, resembling houses in their layout.Built between 3400 and 2700 BC, more than 1000 of the rock-cut...
, rock-cut tombs dated at the third millennium BC. However, fragments of ceramics of the Ozieri culture
Ozieri culture
The Ozieri culture was a prehistoric pre-Nuragic culture that lived in Sardinia from c. 3200 to 2800 BC. It takes its name from the locality where the main findings connected with it have been found, the grotto of San Michele near Ozieri, in northern Sardinia...
have also been discovered and dated at c. 3500 BC. The Nuorese was a centre of the Nuragic civilization
Nuraghe
The nuraghe is the main type of ancient megalithic edifice found in Sardinia. Today it has come to be the symbol of Sardinia and its distinctive culture, the Nuragic civilization...
(which developed in Sardinia from c. 1500 BC to c. 250 BC), as attested by more than 30 Nuragic sites, such has the village discovered in the countryside of Tanca Manna, just outside Nuoro, which was made of about 800 huts. The Nuorese was crossed by a Roman road which connected Karalis (Cagliari
Cagliari
Cagliari is the capital of the island of Sardinia, a region of Italy. Cagliari's Sardinian name Casteddu literally means castle. It has about 156,000 inhabitants, or about 480,000 including the outlying townships : Elmas, Assemini, Capoterra, Selargius, Sestu, Monserrato, Quartucciu, Quartu...
) to Ulbia (Olbia
Olbia
Olbia is a town and comune of 56,231 inhabitants in northeastern Sardinia , in the Gallura sub-region. Called Olbia in the Roman age, Civita in the Middle Ages and Terranova Pausania before the 1940s, Olbia was again the official name of the town after the period of Fascism.-Geography:It is the...
). The legacy of the Roman colonization can especially be found in the variety of the Sardinian language
Sardinian language
Sardinian is a Romance language spoken and written on most of the island of Sardinia . It is considered the most conservative of the Romance languages in terms of phonology and is noted for its Paleosardinian substratum....
which is still spoken today in Nuoro: Sardu nugoresu is considered the most conservative
Conservative (language)
In linguistics, a conservative form, variety, or modality is one that has changed relatively little over its history, or which is relatively resistant to change...
language of the Romance
Romance languages
The Romance languages are a branch of the Indo-European language family, more precisely of the Italic languages subfamily, comprising all the languages that descend from Vulgar Latin, the language of ancient Rome...
family.
After the fall of the Western Roman Empire
Western Roman Empire
The Western Roman Empire was the western half of the Roman Empire after its division by Diocletian in 285; the other half of the Roman Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire, commonly referred to today as the Byzantine Empire....
, Sardinia was held first by the Vandals
Vandals
The Vandals were an East Germanic tribe that entered the late Roman Empire during the 5th century. The Vandals under king Genseric entered Africa in 429 and by 439 established a kingdom which included the Roman Africa province, besides the islands of Sicily, Corsica, Sardinia and the Balearics....
and then by the Byzantines
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
. According to the letters of Pope Gregory I
Pope Gregory I
Pope Gregory I , better known in English as Gregory the Great, was pope from 3 September 590 until his death...
, a Romanized and Christianized culture (that of the provinciales) co-existed with several Pagan cultures (those of the Gens Barbaricina, i.e. "Barbarian People") mainly located in the island's interior. As the Byzantine control waned, the Giudicati
Giudicati
The giudicati were the indigenous kingdoms of Sardinia from about 900 until 1410, when the last fell to the Aragonese. The rulers of the giudicati were giudici , from the Latin iudice , often translates as "judge". The Latin for giudicato was iudicatus The giudicati (singular giudicato) were the...
appeared. A small village known as Nugor appears on a medieval map from 1147. In the two following centuries it grew to more than 1000 inhabitants. Nuoro remained a town of average importance under the Aragonese and Spanish domination of Sardinia, until famine and plague struck it in the late 17th century. After the annexion to the Piedmont in the Kingdom of Sardinia
Kingdom of Sardinia
The Kingdom of Sardinia consisted of the island of Sardinia first as a part of the Crown of Aragon and subsequently the Spanish Empire , and second as a part of the composite state of the House of Savoy . Its capital was originally Cagliari, in the south of the island, and later Turin, on the...
, the town became the administrative center of the area, obtaining the title of city in 1836; in the 19th century it was one of the main cultural centers of Sardinia.
Museums
- Museo Archeologico Nazionale (National Archeological Museum).
- Museo Deleddiano (Grazia Deledda's Museum).
- Museo Etnografico Sardo (Sardinian Museum of Ethnography).
- M.A.N., Museo d’Arte Provincia di Nuoro (Modern Art Museum).
Transportation
Nuoro is served by the SS 131 DCN (Olbia-Abbasanta)Strada statale 131 Diramazione Centrale Nuorese
The Strada statale 131 Diramazione Centrale Nuorese, is a dual carriageway located in Sardinia, Italy.This freeway is connected to the Strada statale 131 Charles Felix, it links Abbasanta with Olbia, via Nuoro, crossing the hinterland mountainous regions of the island.It has a length of 148 km....
, the SS 129 (Orosei-Macomer), and the SS 389 (Monti-Lanusei). It is connected by train (FdS
Ferrovie della Sardegna
The Ferrovie della Sardegna , know also as ARST Gestione FdS and with the acronym FdS, is the regional railway network, in the island of Sardinia, Italy....
) to Macomer and by bus (ARST, Azienda Regionale Sarda Trasporti) to Cagliari, Sassari, Olbia, and to several minor centres in the province and the region. ATP Nuoro's bus system provides service within the city and nearby suburbs.
Notable people
- Antonio Ballero (1864–1932), writer, painter
- Francesco Ciusa (1883–1949), sculptor
- Giovanni Ciusa Romagna (1907–1958), painter
- Attilio Deffenu (1890–1918), trade unionist
- Grazia DeleddaGrazia DeleddaGrazia Deledda was an Italian writer whose works won her the Nobel Prize for Literature for 1926.-Biography:...
(1871–1936), writer - Pasquale Dessanai (1868–1919), poet
- Marcello Fois (born 1960), writer
- Maria Giacobbe (born 1928), writer, essayist (publishes in Italian and Danish)
- Flavio Manzoni, car designer
- Franco Oppo (born 1935), composer
- Romano Ruiu (1935–1974), writer, poet, playwright
- Salvatore Satta (1902–1975), jurist, writer
- Sebastiano Satta (1867–1914), poet, lawyer
- Salvatore SiriguSalvatore SiriguSalvatore Sirigu is an Italian footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain and Italy national football team.-Club career:...
(born 1987), footballer playing for PSG