To Orgósolo, the home of communist (and other) murals, bullet-riddled signs, bandits and more!

After a very relaxed week or so enjoying Sardinia’s beaches on the coast of the Tyrrhenian sea, we decided it was time for a bit of exploring in the interior.

Having swerved the places associated with both Garibaldi and Gramsci, two of the island’s most famous political heroes, we decided to mix up a bit of Italian vendetta and political history and head for the small mountain town of Orgósolo.

Some 18km off the main road and surrounded by not much except wandering cattle and goats, the town is (in)famous as the bandit capital of Sardinia, even with its own ‘lifestyle’ film in the early 60s that helped perpetuate its reputation. We read that a combination of clan warfare and feuding between the local families had led to a situation where, between the early 1900s and 1950s, (with a population of only around 4,000) there was an average of one murder every two months! And to add to this gruesome history, by the 1960s, Orgósolo had become a centre of the ransom kidnappings that Sardinia was then known for.

It was also during the 60s that the town gained a reputation for an anti-authoritarian stance, when it successfully resisted attempts by the Italian military to establish a base on common land used by the local shepherds. Known as the ‘Pratobello revolution’ it saw the start of what most folk now visit the town for; its myriad of murals. Started by Francesco del Casino, a local art teacher and communist, the tradition has endured and the town is an amazing place to wander round and marvel at the mix of political messages and artistic styles.

With just one example (that we saw) of a street sign that had been shot up that harked back to its more violent past (although plenty of roadside ones on the route in), we could easily have stayed longer than the couple of hours we’d allowed, as we marvelled at one mural after another. What follows is just a selection of what we saw (there are about 150!) – if you are interested in knowing or seeing more, go here.

As we started to experience something like a visual overload, we realised it was time to head back to the coast for what would be our last bit of Tyrrhenian temptation, before we needed to swing north and west towards the ferry for France.

And after a drive back through the mountains that included a very dramatic storm with thunder and lightning running alongside us, (which fortunately gave the camper a much needed wash down), we reached the coast not far from where we had arrived in the Golfo Aranci almost a month ago, at Camping Selema in the little village of Santa Lucia, with the skies starting to clear!

S&J