This recently maintained trail is important as it connects the centre of the town to Monte Maccione and Tuones, important nodes on the routes that access the highest peak in the Supramonte (the Corrasi). This is a hiking and cycling route (hiking difficulty: MC i.e. for hikers and mountain bikers with medium technical skills: dirt roads with only slightly uneven and irregular surface, and with stretches on firm, smooth surface). The route is constantly uphill (in the main direction from town village towards Tuones). It is mainly on a road with car and motorbike traffic.
Oliena: mountain surrounded by olive trees, forests and springs
A picturesque small town, between the Supramonte massif and the city of Nuoro, surrounded by rich limestone uplands, deep dolines, canyons and lush valleys. The surroundings of Oliena, a small town in the Barbagia district at the foot of Monte Corrasi (1463 m asl) 10 km from Nuoro, form a vast natural monument, an ideal destination for hiking and mountain biking. The town started from a Roman period settlement, founded by “rebels” such as the Ilienses who, according to Roman historian Sallust, were Trojans who had fled to the island. The town, with a population of about 7000 people, has been awarded the Orange Flag, a mark of distinction for Italian towns that excel in terms of natural and cultural heritage, craftsmanship and hospitality.
THE TRAIL NETWORK
A first trail-building project with regional funding (Programme Agreement for Supramonte interno - Su Suercone) was carried out in 2018 by Forestas in the municipalities of Oliena-Orgosolo-Urzulei-Dorgali. More recently (2022) Forestas completed and harmonised the regional hiking network with a focus on the municipality of Oliena, thanks to European funding (ERDF ROP).
Hiking time, elevation differences and gradients
Hiking time varies significantly if the trail is followed in the downhill direction (from Tuones to the town): in this case, the total elevation gain is only 100 m compared to 700 m in the uphill direction. The estimated time going downhill is 1h 50' (on foot) versus almost two and a half hours going uphill (on foot). In both directions, the average slope on the trail is between 5% and 13%. The maximum slope reaches a peak of 42% in some stretches.
