The statue of the Redeemer above Deledda's city
Just east of Nuoro, Monte Ortobene is a granite mountain about 955 metres high, covered with woods of holm oak, pine and oak and with huge rounded boulders, which is the green lung and the sacred mountain of the city. A road climbs from the centre to the top in a few kilometres, among picnic areas, springs and viewpoints, with views over Nuoro, the valley of the Isalle and the limestone massifs of the Supramonte and Monte Corrasi, and on clear days as far as the sea of the Gulf of Orosei.
At the top stands the Statue of the Redeemer, a bronze statue of Christ about 7 metres high, by the sculptor Vincenzo Jerace, erected in 1901 as a Jubilee monument, depicting Christ in the act of blessing, his foot on a globe. Every year on 29 August, the Festa del Redentore, one of the most heartfelt festivals in Sardinia, begins with a procession from the cathedral of Nuoro up to the statue, with groups in traditional costume from all over the island, and is accompanied by folk performances, singing "a tenore" and dancing in the city. Monte Ortobene is also linked to Grazia Deledda, who loved it and described it in her novels; the writer is buried in the small church of the Solitudine, at the foot of the mountain, which she had wished for.
Tip: the paths on the Ortobene are ideal for walks and mountain biking; the church of the Solitudine has a sober interior and the tomb of Deledda.
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