The city of granite and cork
In the heart of the Gallura, the region of north eastern Sardinia, at about 560 metres, Tempio Pausania is a city built entirely of grey granite, with an austere, elegant historic centre of stone houses, palaces with wrought-iron balconies, arcades and churches, such as the cathedral of San Pietro and the Oratory of the Rosary. Surrounded by forests of cork oak and holm oak, it is the capital of cork, one of the most important productions of Sardinia: in the countryside around, the trunks of the cork oaks, stripped of their bark every nine to twelve years, show a red-orange colour, and the town has factories that produce bottle stoppers and objects.
Tempio is also known for its springs of mineral water, such as the Fonte Rinaggiu, whose light water is believed to have healing properties, and for its Carnival, one of the most popular in Sardinia, with allegorical floats and the burning of King George, the carnival king. Above the town rises Monte Limbara, a granite massif reaching 1,359 metres, covered with pine and holm oak woods, with jagged peaks and a view over the whole of northern Sardinia and Corsica. A road climbs almost to the top, and paths lead to viewpoints and to the Valle della Luna of Aggius, a landscape of granite boulders.
Tip: try the "suppa cuata", a Gallurese bread soup with cheese and broth, and the Vermentino di Gallura, the only DOCG wine of Sardinia.
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