Cortes Apertas Oliena Programme 2026
From Thursday 10 to Sunday 13 September 2026 it is Oliena’s turn to host one of the most anticipated stops of Autunno in Barbagia, which in 2026 celebrates thirty years since its first edition: the village at the foot of Monte Corrasi renews its appointment with Cortes Apertas. The traditional stone courtyards open to welcome visitors with tastings of the celebrated Nepente wine, exhibitions, local crafts, music and tenore singing.
Thursday 10 September
9:30am – Thirty years since the first edition
"Autunno in Barbagia, thirty years since the first edition of Cortes Apertas. Reflections on the past and prospects for the future." Su Gologone Hotel conference hall.
5:00pm – Opening of the exhibitions
"A manu tenta giro, vagando di paese in paese" – the skirts of traditional dress from the towns of Autunno in Barbagia, curated by Galaveras (Collegio dei Gesuiti, Via C. Bisi); "Profumo di mandorle", a collection of artistic sweets by Anna Gardu (Pinacoteca of the Parish of Sant’Ignazio di Loyola, P.zza Collegio); "Via Crucis", works by Anna Gardu (Chiesa Nostra Signora d’Itria, Via Ichnusa); "Nividas", an exhibition by Roberto Serri, and "Siamo Canne al Vento", a pictorial cycle by Vanni Rocca dedicated to Grazia Deledda's masterpiece (Giardino Calamida, Via Garibaldi); "Oliena 1950/1956", photographs by Marianne Sin-Pfalzer and Toni Schneiders (Casa Calamida, Via E. D’Arborea); "The History and Sounds of Canto a Tenore", curated by the cultural association Sos Hustumenes (Via P. Solinas).
Friday 11 September
4:00pm – Opening of the Cortes
Opening of the Cortes and of the exhibitions.
6:00pm – Welcome to the friends of Oliana in Catalonia
Oliena gives its "Benevègnios" welcome to the friends of Oliana in Catalonia and presents the giant "Lussugliu", as part of the project "BCG – Su Ballu Cantau e els Gegants: voices and steps in celebration", with Sardana dance and Sardinian dances. Piazza Aldo Moro.
10:00pm – Serenada a sos Isposos
Re-enactment of the "Serenada a sos Isposos" event. Departure from Piazza Santa Croce.
Saturday 12 September
10:00am – Life in the cortes of the past
Exhibitions, workshops and re-enactments of household and working life of the past inside the ancient courtyards and along the streets of the historic centre: housewives bake bread and prepare pasta and sweets, while grapes are pressed with old presses and wine is made and tasted in the cellars. Shepherds make cheese and craftsmen work leather and wood; embroiderers work on the shawls of the traditional Oliena dress.
10:30am – The ancient Oliena wedding
Re-enactment of the "Ancient Oliena Wedding": departure from the groom's house (10:30am); dressing of the bride, the godfather presenting the bouquet and the poem, departure of the wedding procession with the participation of the Giants (11:00am); "Su humbidu", a toast to the newlyweds with sweets and wine (12:00pm).
5:00pm – Taller de percusión por los chicos
Musical entertainment for children.
6:00pm – Taller de sardanes
Traditional Catalan dance lesson.
7:00pm – Parade of the Geganters i Grallers d'Oliana
Parade along the streets of the historic centre of the "Geganters i grallers d'Oliana" (the Giants of Catalonia), with dancing, a fireworks display and roving entertainment along the streets of the historic centre with the participation of folk groups and local tenores.
9:00pm – Maria Luisa Congiu in concert
Concert by Maria Luisa Congiu for the thirtieth anniversary of Cortes Apertas. Dancing follows with music by DJ Panis and DJ Torra, straight from Catalonia. Piazza Santa Maria.
Sunday 13 September
10:00am – The Cortes reopen
A village in celebration that has always welcomed visitors with a hospitality rooted in ancient traditions: embroiderers at work in the "sas carrelas", exhibitions, workshops and re-enactments of household and working life of the past inside the ancient courtyards and along the streets of the historic centre.
11:00am – Parade and Sardana dance
Parade along the streets of the historic centre of the "Geganters i grallers d'Oliana" (the Giants of Catalonia); roving entertainment with folk groups and local tenores; Sardana dance.
5:30pm – Battos Moros and mini folk groups
Roving entertainment with the Battos Moros and the mini folk groups of Benetutti, Orotelli, Padru and Silanus.
6:30pm – Show with the mini folk groups
Show with the mini folk groups of Oliena and other Sardinian towns, presented by Giuliano Marongiu. The evening continues with the participation of couples from the folk groups of Oliena, Orgosolo, Ottana, Fonni, Meana Sardo and Sorgono. Piazza Berlinguer.
How to Get to Oliena
Distances from main cities
Cagliari
~195 km · ~2h 15min
Olbia
~115 km · ~1h 25min
Alghero
~150 km · ~1h 50min
Event venue
Historic centre of Oliena
Oliena (NU) · Barbagia di Ollolai
🚗 By car
From Nuoro take the SS389 towards Dorgali as far as Oliena (about 12 km, 15 min). Parking in the areas near the historic centre, signposted during the event.
🚌 Bus
ARST bus lines from Nuoro to Oliena run frequently; extra services are often added on Autunno in Barbagia weekends.
✈️ Nearest airport
Olbia Costa Smeralda Airport (~115 km) or Cagliari-Elmas (~195 km).
🚗 Compare prices and rent a car at the best price Open in Google Maps ↗Find accommodation nearby.
History and Traditions
Autunno in Barbagia is the travelling festival that, since 1996, has brought dozens of villages in the Barbagia and surrounding areas to life between September and December: every weekend a different town opens its cortes, the stone courtyards of the traditional houses, turning them into open-air workshops of flavours, crafts and music. In 2026 the festival celebrates the thirtieth anniversary of Cortes Apertas, and Oliena marks the occasion with a programme that pairs the open courtyards with a full calendar of exhibitions and historical re-enactments.
Oliena, at the foot of the limestone massif of Monte Corrasi and at the gateway to the Supramonte, is known worldwide for its Nepente wine, celebrated even by the poet Gabriele D’Annunzio, for the karst spring of Su Gologone and for tenore singing, the pastoral polyphony handed down through generations and recognised by UNESCO as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity. The village's bond with Sardinian culture and literature is also recalled by the exhibition "Siamo Canne al Vento", Vanni Rocca's pictorial cycle dedicated to the masterpiece by Grazia Deledda, the Nobel Prize-winning writer from Nuoro who set many of her works in the towns at the foot of the Supramonte.
Among the most distinctive appointments of the 2026 edition is the re-enactment of the "ancient Oliena wedding", with the bride dressed in traditional Oliena dress and the wedding procession accompanied by the Giants; the days are further enriched by Oliena's Catalan friends from Oliana, with their "Gegants", the Sardana dance and workshops for children, the fruit of a cultural twinning that for thirty years has brought the two communities together around their popular traditions.
Frequently Asked Questions about Autunno in Barbagia in Oliena
Is there an entrance fee for the Cortes Apertas in Oliena?
No, entry to the Cortes Apertas and to the exhibitions set up in the historic centre of Oliena is free for the entire duration of the event, from 10 to 13 September 2026.
Are there activities for children?
Yes: on Saturday 12 September at 17:00 there is a free "Taller de percusión por los chicos" music workshop for children, followed at 18:00 by a "Taller de sardanes" dance lesson.
Where can I park and eat during the event?
Signposted parking areas are set up near the historic centre during the event; for food, the open cortes serve traditional dishes, sweets and the celebrated Nepente wine prepared directly by Oliena families.
What local products should not be missed in Oliena?
Oliena is famous above all for its Nepente wine, celebrated even by Gabriele D’Annunzio, but the cortes also offer artisan sweets, traditional bread, pastoral cheeses and leather and wood craftwork.
Cortes Apertas Oliena on video
A taste of the unique atmosphere of the Cortes Apertas in Oliena: stone courtyards open to visitors, Nepente wine tastings, traditional dress, tenore singing and the lively presence of the Catalan Giants at the foot of Monte Corrasi and the Supramonte.
