Tacchi & Canyons

Ulassai is dominated by its namesake Tacco, a 1,000-metre limestone wall beloved by climbers from all over the world. But it is also the village of Maria Lai, the artist who "stitched" the village to the mountain with light-blue fabric ribbons in her celebrated work Legarsi alla Montagna (1981).

Osini Vecchio was abandoned after the devastating flood of 1951 and is today an evocative ghost village. From here starts the trail to the Scala di San Giorgio — a spectacular gorge that cuts through the namesake Tacco.

Gairo is a unique case in Italy: three versions of the same village. Gairo Vecchio (a ghost village, abandoned in 1951), Gairo Taquisara (the new centre) and the ancient Terme di Santa Maria, known since Roman times.

The Tacchi of Jerzu are among the most majestic in Ogliastra — dolomitic towers looming over the village. At their feet grow the vines of the world's oldest Cannonau: after the effort of the canyons, a wine tasting is a must.