monuments
the places of historical and artistic interest are many in Ogliastra. The testimonies of the antiquity are abundant, also if they are not always emphasized.
The traces of the prehistorical period are dense and are distributed in many communal territories: many are the menhir and the ” domus de janas ” (houses of the fairies), also the nuragical villages, the nuraghi and the tombs of the giants.
The archaeological places can be normally reached covering secondary roads and excavated paths that branch off from the inhabited centers.
An important building is the castle of Medusa at Lotzorai, from judgical age; nearer at S. Maria Navarrese, it rises the church that was built in the first half of the XI century, whose original structure has been unfortunately modified. On the easiest landings place of the ogliastrino shoreline, at S. Maria Navarrese and Barisardo, they rise some spin towers of Spanish age.
Some churches are really interesting: the parish one of the eighteenth century of Barisardo, the other one of S.Andrea at Tortolì with the baroque shapes, and that one of Baunei with a system of the seventeenth century.
Many are the little rural churches (the photos: Baunei-S.Peter at the Golgo; by M.Vacca), holy places perfectly integrated to the natural context and also true dwellings in festivity for the visitors who come there in the recurrence days too.
local products 
In the economy of the ogliastrina mountain it prevails the stock-raising with activities that concern in the tourism and the environment, while in the coastal zones it prevails the orthofruit manufacture and the fishing.
In the intermediate hilly zones it is developed the viticulture, an activity that is present in all Ogliastra: it is famous the red, white and rose’ wine “Cannonau” (photo: vineyard) produced and manifactured in the Wine cellars of Jerzu and Tortolì.
At Lanusei, Ilbono and Tortolì there is a plentiful production of olive-oil.
Nearly in all the ogliastrine communities they are produced the sheet of pastry of the ” carasau ” bread or ” pistoccu ” ( thin bread cooked like a biscuit in the firewood furnaces); they are produced also the ” culurgiones “, ravioli with potatoes and cheese, sometimes enriched with the aromas of the mint or the basil; it is produced the cheese, above all the Sardinian pecorino, in the sheperds’ mountain centers but also at Cardedu and Tertenia.
It is typical the ham of Talana and Villagrande, such as the cheese and the goatish meat of Baunei, Urzulei and Ulassai.
The “amaretti”(macaroons), “the mostaccioli”(spiced cake laced with must), the sebadas and the guelfi make all sweeter and more pleasant gradevole.
The artistic handicraft does not lack in the fields of the webbing and the embroidery, of the forging of the knives and the jewels, in the working of the ceramics and the wood.
the festivities
The communities of Ogliastra, such as it happens in all Sardinia, live the religious festivities feeling the strong profane and popular implication of them.
The visitor, tourist or foreigner who comes for luck in a country in festivity, has the occasion of living rituals and traditions that are conserved from generations.
Here are some of most important festivities, many of them are carried out in the rural churches during the warmer seasons:
- 7th of January, S.Antonio Abbot in all the countries.
- The first Sunday of May, Festivity of the Madonna delle Grazie at Jerzu; S.Efisio at Talana.
- The third Sunday of June, S. Basilio at Urzulei.
- 29th of June, S. Peter at Baunei.
- The first Sunday of July, ” Stella maris” at Arbatax.
- 12/13th of July, S.Salvatore at Perdasdefogu.
- The second Sunday of July, S. Giovanni at Barisardo.
- The last Sunday of July, Festivity of S. Maria Ausiliatrice at Lanusei.
- 15th of August, S. Maria at S. Navarrese Maria.
- The third Sunday of August, S.Giorgio at Urzulei
- 29th of September, S.Michele at Talana.