Arzana lies in the heart of Ogliastra, with lush forests and crystal clear springs, at the foot of Mount Idolo, on the slope of the Gennargentu massif, looking out to sea. On clear days, from this part of the massif that, with Punta La Marmora, touches the highest peak on the Island (1834 metres), you can see very distant Sardinian territories. It is an area rich in watercourses that sometimes turn into waterfalls and transparent little lakes: the spring of Funtana Orrubia is not to be missed and nor are the Pirincanis waterfall that flows in a narrow and evocative gorge. In the Flumendosa valleys, stretches of very ancient forests still remain, like the Tedderieddu forest, in particular, where you will find some of the oldest yew trees in Europe, as well as junipers, broom, alders, cistus and holm oaks and where mouflons, wild boar and deer live undisturbed.

The territory of Arzana was frequented starting from the Nuragic age. Bearing witness to this are the Domus de Janas necropolis of Perdixi, the Nuragic complexes of Unturgiadore, Sa 'e Cortocce, Sa Tanca and the village of Ruinas, while in the same area of Tedderieddu, in the village of Silisé and inside the village, at Su Baingiu - where thermal baths were found - ruins from the Roman era were discovered. In the Giudicale period, the village was first under Calari and was then incorporated into the kingdom of Gallura. Lastly, it became part of the Catalan-Aragonese kingdom. Among the religious buildings, the parish church of San Giovanni Battista, rebuilt in the mid-nineteenth century, stands out. Inside it, you will see a medieval cross from Silisé and a seventeenth-century monstrance.

Arzana is one of the symbolic municipalities in the Ogliastra Blue Zone, meaning that it is one of the six areas in the world with the highest percentage of centenarians and elderly people in good health, a unique circumstance studied by the Istituto di Genetica Molecolare (Institute of Molecular Genetics) of the CNR (National Research Council). Longevity, one of the qualifying dimensions of the extraordinary quality of life in Sardinia, is based on the co-existence of genetic heritage, environmental and social well-being and the quality of food. In fact, like the other Ogliastra villages, this one stands out for its delicacies, starting with culurgionis, tasty cheese ravioli that you can enjoy with tomato sauce. In the autumn, during the mushroom season, Arzana gives the best of itself: every year, in November, the Feast of the Golden Porcino Mushroom takes place. You can enjoy this unique experience, reaching the village on the Trenino Verde, a tourist railway line that runs from Cagliari to Arbatax through landscapes of indescribable beauty.