From the Church of Solitude to the Redeemer (G-101)

Validation level In pre-accatastamento o manutenzione

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Trail summary

Path lenght 3.700 m

Time lenght 1 hour 45 minutes

Difficulty level More infos sui gradi di difficoltà Intermediate-high difficulty (E-level)

Activities and warnings

Pathways Activities

The pathway

Departing from the church of La Solitudine, the trail 101 takes you on a steady but not difficult climb up to the statue of Christ the Redeemer, through enchanting stretches of forest, between granite boulders of unusual shapes and ancient traces of human civilisation. The route was the main way of accessing the highest parts of the Mountain before the arrival of the current paved road. The iron crosses affixed to the rock that you can see along the way are a reminder of the itinerary followed by the pilgrims who in 1901 carried the statue of Christ the Redeemer in a procession to its current location with panoramic views over the city.

The path intersects with the provincial road in several places, allowing you to cover even just individual sections of the route: at these intersections, remember to pay particular attention to road traffic.

Currently, the cadastral status of the trail is being defined, as some short sections run through unfenced private properties. The trail is also included in the ‘Ortobene route plan’ prepared and approved in 2023 by the Municipality of Nuoro.

Useful informations

Ortobene (Orthobene) is a granite mountain covering about 1600 hectares, partly owned by the municipality of Nuoro and partly by private individuals. Approximately 860 hectares are managed in various capacities by the Forest Agency of Sardinia. The mountain (called Su Monte by the people of Nuoro) has fascinating granite rock formations including hollows, tafoni, etc..

The highest peak is Cuccuru Nigheddu, 955 m asl. From the slopes to the summit, the elevation range is about 800 m, which means that the vegetation is rich and varied: there are dense holm-oak woods with scattered pubescent and cork oaks, as well as garrigue and scrubland, which developed as a result of fires and consist mainly of rockrose, broom, artemisia arborescens (tree wormwood), heather, strawberry trees and mastic (lentisk). The meadows and clearings are home to beautiful wild orchids, while the undergrowth is dotted with cyclamens, butcher’s broom, ferns and, in favourable seasons, many types of mushrooms.

The superb holm oak woods that existed until the 19th century have been almost entirely destroyed by indiscriminate felling and recurring fires, culminating in the catastrophic event of 1971 that destroyed over 600 hectares of wood and scrubland. There are small, mainly seasonal watercourses with riparian vegetation of willows, poplars and occasionally alders and ash trees, as well as many springs that, albeit small, have good quality water.

Some bare areas have been replanted with various forest species, mainly conifers, since the 1930s.
The fauna is also quite rich and includes among the mammals: wild boar, wild cat, Sardinian hare, marten, fox, weasel, dormouse and others. Birds include birds of prey such as the Sardinian goshawk, sparrow hawk, buzzard and, from the adjacent Jacu Piu forest, the superb golden eagle. Non-raptors include jays, partridges, turtle doves and various species of sparrows.

The historical place names reveal the past presence of species no longer found in the area, such as deer, vultures and mouflon (Corra chervina, Sa gurturjera and Vadde de mugrones).
Monte Ortobene is also rich in archaeological sites that testify to human presence since the remotest times, such as the Domus de janas (rock-cut prehistoric tombs) of Sas Vrighines, Maria Vrunza and Janna Ventosa. The ruins of the churches of Sa Itria and Santu Jacu date to more recent times.

Roadbook

Leave the church of La Solitudine and reach the first waypoint - Su Murrone - after about 500 m of moderate uphill stretch, arriving at an elevation of 630 m asl. Some traces of the ancient stone-paved road (s’impredau) are visible. Amidst the rocky outcrops above stands one of the 10 crosses that mark the route. About halfway along this stage, you will see the first enchanting rock outcrops and granite boulders chiselled into animal-like shapes by the slow forces of nature and climate.