Aritzo

Amidst fairy-tale landscapes in the heart of the rugged Gennargentu massif, it rises 800 metres above sea level in a gentle, forest-covered valley. Aritzo, a village of 1,300 inhabitants in the Barbagia di Belvì, 70 kilometres from Nuoro, is a holiday resort, thanks to unspoilt nature, healthy air and a myriad of light water springs: the most popular are is Alinos and the funtana de sant'Antoni. A small 15th-century church in the countryside is also dedicated to St Anthony of Padua. In the village, houses with stone façades and wooden or wrought-iron balconies overlook cobbled streets, lit by the reflections of the sun. In the centre stands the parish church of St Michael the Archangel, the oldest part of which dates back to the year 1000. The restoration in 1917 gave it elegance and majesty, leaving intact the Gothic-Aragonese parts (14th-15th centuries). Inside, it houses a myriad of works of art: paintings, statues, an 18th-century organ and an altar in polychrome marble. Outside, the Bastione overlooks chestnut and hazelnut forests, where you can choose between hiking or horseback riding, discovering the natural monument Texile, a mushroom-shaped 'dolomitic' rock, and the domus de Janas of is Forros a Mont'e Susu.