The silent voice of the Orgosolo murals
Discover the murals, paintings that characterize the façades of the houses in central Sardinia and became an original tool of communication and protest in the second half of the twentieth century
Each one with its own style, the murals of Orgosolo tell the story of an always lively intellectual unrest and a culturally fervent territory that is always rebellious and politically active. This town in the Barbagia area offers glimpses of an ancient, timeless Sardinia, surrounded by lush and unspoilt nature. In every house, on every wall, there is a mural: a stroll through the village streets will see you silently reading and sharing the emotions frescoed on the stone walls and accompanied by the traditional Canto dei Tenores. With its expressive and evocative images, Orgosolo speaks and creates bonds with inhabitants and visitors.
For their poignancy and immediacy, the Sardinian murals have been used as an effective tool of communication. The Orgosolo painting technique emerged in the twentieth century thanks to the artistic verve of a group of feuding anarchists. The technique was adopted again during period of the Italian Resistance Movement and also spread rapidly to the nearby villages, becoming a total success. Today, this mural tradition characterizes numerous villages in the Barbagia area and has made Orgosolo an internationally famous museum-village.
Hundreds of murals colour the streets of Orgosolo and tell the story of its customs and traditions, its culture and the intimate dissent of the people of Barbagia. The liveliness of the 1960s and 1970s favoured the development of the collective murals, which still describe, in great detail, rural life and the struggles for power, alternating socio-political themes with the portrayal of typical icons of everyday life: women at work, men on horseback and shepherds. The scenario in Orgosolo is ageless and is well worth a visit, at least once during your lifetime.
