What to expect at Autunno in Barbagia Lollove 2026
On Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 October 2026 Lollove, the medieval hamlet outside Nuoro, opens its houses and Cortes for Autunno in Barbagia: guided tours, artisans at work, the dressing in Nuoro’s traditional attire and ISRE’s documentary on the village. Two days in a place where time stands still.
Programme Cortes Apertas Lollove 2026
For two days the carrèras, the stone lanes of Lollove, and the village houses open to visitors for the Autunno in Barbagia 2026 stop: trails dedicated to crafts, local produce and food and wine, guided tours, music, songs and dances, live demonstrations and activities to discover the village and the culture of Nuoro. On both Saturday and Sunday the Cortes open at 10:00.
Saturday 10 October
Morning: the Cortes open and artisans at work
At 10:00 the Cortes and the village houses open with cultural and food-and-wine itineraries, tastings of local products, local craft displays, exhibitions and demonstrations. The trail winds between the authentic flavours of Barbagia – cheeses, cured meats, wines and traditional sweets – and craftwork including textiles, ceramics, jewellery and other objects. Also from 10:00, in Via Roma, the artisans of Nuoro demonstrate techniques, gestures and know-how linked to traditional textiles and fabrics, ceramics and fresh pasta, organised by ASPEN, the special agency of the Nuoro Chamber of Commerce.
Afternoon: guided tours, a game and olive oil
From 15:00 the Alla scoperta di Lollòve guided tours set off: tourist guides lead visitors through the history, the architecture, the most significant places and the events that have shaped village life; tours are booked at the infopoint at the entrance to the village. At 16:00, from the churchyard, I segreti di Lollòve begins, a game that turns the village into a trail to explore by following clues, stories and traces scattered along the lanes. At 17:00, in the Old Monastery, a guided extra virgin olive oil tasting workshop explains its characteristics and qualities.
Evening: the documentary “Giorni di Lollove”
At 19:30, in front of the Church of Santa Maria Maddalena, Giorni di Lollove is screened: the documentary made in 1996 by the Istituto Superiore Regionale Etnografico (ISRE), directed by I. Figus and V. Piras, retraces the history, memory and life of the community.
Sunday 11 October
Morning: songs, dances and Lollove cuisine
At 10:00 the Cortes and village houses reopen, with the trail of crafts, local produce, exhibitions, demonstrations, tastings and traditional specialities; the Alla scoperta di Lollòve guided tours run again at 10:00 and 15:00, again bookable at the infopoint. From 10:30 the Gruppo Folk SaludoS of the Pro Loco of Nuoro fills the village streets with songs and dances in traditional dress. At 11:00, at Trattoria Sa Cartolina, a demonstration is devoted to preparing a speciality of Lollove cuisine and to the gestures of the local culinary tradition.
Midday and afternoon: Nuoro’s traditional dress and music
At 12:00 and 15:00, in front of the Church of Santa Maria Maddalena, the Associazione Gruppo Folk Ortobene presents Abbigliamento tradizionale nuorese: un viaggio nel tempo, the dressing and presentation of Nuoro’s traditional attire from the early twentieth century: a journey through the evolution of clothing, the features of the different garments and their meaning in Nuoro society. At 16:00, in Via Sa Contra, music by Novos Sonos closes the weekend.
Throughout both days
Alongside the live craftwork there are producers, artisans and hobbyists with goods tied to the area: honey, wine, olive oil, nougat and sweets, Sardinian crafts, essential oils, loom weaving, basketry, cork and wood work, jewellery and objects made through the creative reuse of materials. Among the demonstrations visitors can also watch grain being ground in a stone mill, one of the key stages in the traditional processing of cereals.
The stands of the ASPEN special agency promote the area’s craft and agri-food products with demonstrations by local artisans and operators, while an information stand presents the candidacy of Sos Enattos to host the Einstein Telescope, the major international project for the study of gravitational waves.
Flavours and gestures of tradition
In the Cortes and at the food stalls you can taste many local dishes: from roast suckling pig to pane lentu with purpuzza or tongue, from su prattu e cassa to pane frattau, as well as malloreddos, savoury casadinas, sebadas, orillettas and other specialities. The food is accompanied by demonstrations of traditional preparations, including pane frattau, cooking in su prattu e cassa and sebadas. For a sit-down meal the programme suggests Locanda Lollovers and Trattoria Sa Cartolina.
How to Get to Lollove
Distances from main cities
Cagliari
~195 km · ~2h 30min
Olbia
~105 km · ~1h 20min
Alghero
~145 km · ~2h 05min
Event venue
Village of Lollove — open Cortes and houses
Lollove, hamlet of Nuoro (NU) · Infopoint at the village entrance
🚗 By car
Lollove lies about 15 km from Nuoro: leave the SS131 dcn at the Nuoro–La Solitudine–Orune junction and follow the signs for the village. From Olbia the SS131 dcn leads straight towards Nuoro; from Cagliari take the SS131 to Abbasanta and then the SS131 dcn towards Nuoro. From Sassari and Alghero join the SS131 and follow it to Abbasanta, then continue on the SS131 dcn. The village lanes are narrow: it is best to leave the car in the parking areas at the entrance and walk in.
🚌 Bus
Nuoro is linked by ARST buses to Cagliari, Olbia and Sassari; connections to Lollove are very limited. Check timetables on the ARST website before setting off, especially at weekends: a car remains the most convenient option for the event.
✈️ Nearest airport
Olbia Costa Smeralda Airport (approx. 105 km).
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Frequently Asked Questions about Autunno in Barbagia in Lollove
Is there an admission fee for Autunno in Barbagia in Lollove?
No, entry to the village, the Cortes, the exhibitions and the demonstrations is free. The “Alla scoperta di Lollòve” guided tours must be booked at the infopoint at the entrance to the village, while tastings and meals at the food stalls are paid for.
When can I see the traditional dress in Lollove?
On Sunday 11 October. From 10:30 the Gruppo Folk SaludoS of the Pro Loco of Nuoro brings songs and dances through the village streets; at 12:00 and 15:00, in front of the Church of Santa Maria Maddalena, the Associazione Gruppo Folk Ortobene presents “Abbigliamento tradizionale nuorese: un viaggio nel tempo”, the dressing in Nuoro’s traditional attire of the early twentieth century.
Where can I eat and park in Lollove during the event?
The programme lists Locanda Lollovers and Trattoria Sa Cartolina, as well as the food stalls set up in the Cortes, serving roast suckling pig, pane frattau, malloreddos, sebadas and orillettas. The village is small and its lanes are narrow: it is best to leave the car in the parking areas at the entrance to the village and walk in.
Are there activities for families and children?
Yes: on Saturday 10 October at 16:00 “I segreti di Lollòve” starts from the churchyard, a clue-based game that turns the village into a trail to explore. Throughout the event the live demonstrations, from grinding grain in the stone mill to making sebadas, are suitable for all ages.
History and Traditions
Autunno in Barbagia is the travelling festival promoted by ASPEN, the special agency of the Nuoro Chamber of Commerce, which since 1996 has taken visitors to a different village in Barbagia and the surrounding areas every weekend. The 2026 edition, “Il gusto antico dell’ospitalità” (the ancient taste of hospitality), runs from 5 September to 13 December: on 10 and 11 October Lollove shares the weekend with Gavoi, Onani and Tonara.
Lollove is a hamlet of Nuoro, about 15 km from the town, nestled in a green hollow on the road towards Orune. It is one of the smallest villages in Italy and belongs to the “I Borghi più belli d’Italia” club: a handful of exposed-stone houses, cobbled lanes and courtyards that preserve intact a rural layout of medieval origin. In the mid-twentieth century it had more than 400 inhabitants; today only a few dozen remain, and it is precisely this silence that makes it one of the most evocative places in the Nuoro area.
At the heart of the village stands the late-Gothic church of Santa Maria Maddalena, once linked to a convent of Franciscan nuns. Tradition says that when the affairs of some nuns with local shepherds came to light, the sisters left the village, cursing it: “Lollove, you will be like the water of the sea: you will never grow and never die”. And indeed the village has never grown, yet it has never disappeared either. This suspended atmosphere inspired Grazia Deledda, who set her novel La madre (The Mother, 1920) in Lollove. Cortes Apertas is the chance to step inside its houses and hear its story from those who keep it alive.