A gem tucked away in the most authentic part of Ogliastra, Ulassai is a place where contemporary art blends seamlessly with a monumental natural landscape. This mountain village—world-famous for the extraordinary longevity of its inhabitants—owes much of its international renown to the artist Maria Lai, who transformed her hometown into an open-air museum.
The bond between the village and the artist reached its peak in 1981 with the pioneering relational art action "Legarsi alla montagna" (Tying Yourself to the Mountain), where local residents connected their homes to one another and to the looming cliffs above using kilometers of blue ribbon. Today, her legacy lives on at the Stazione dell'Arte, a contemporary art museum housed in the former railway station that holds her most significant works. Traces of her textile and sculptural art can also be found throughout the village's streets, walls, and pathways.
Surrounding the town is one of the most breathtaking natural backdrops in inner Sardinia. Rising from the limestone plateaus of the Tacchi are remarkable landmarks, including the majestic Lequarci Waterfalls (Cascate di Lequarci)—which plunge over one hundred meters during periods of heavy rain—and the impressive Su Marmuri Caves (Grotte di Su Marmuri), among Europe's largest, featuring vast chambers filled with ancient stalactites and stalagmites. The area's sheer rock faces are also an international magnet for rock climbing and hiking enthusiasts.
Ulassai stands out as a magical, profound destination—a place suspended in time where the silence of the rock, the power of nature, and the poetically revolutionary voice of art offer a truly unique emotional experience.