Autunno in Barbagia 2025 is Sardinia’s long-running village-to-village fall festival that opens the heart of the island from early September to mid‑December, inviting visitors into historic homes, artisan workshops, wine cellars, and cobbled squares across 30‑plus Barbagia towns. The 25th edition runs from the weekend of September 6–7 in Bitti through December 13–14 in Orune and Ortueri, with every weekend dedicated to a different cluster of villages that stage Cortes Apertas, or “open courtyards,” featuring crafts, food, music, costumes, and living traditions unique to each place. The official tourism listing confirms 2025 dates and the town‑by‑town arc, while the Chamber of Commerce of Nuoro notes the program launch and partners behind this cornerstone of Sardinian culture.
What it is and how it works
Autunno in Barbagia is a decentralized festival: each weekend, a new set of mountain or inland villages opens private courtyards and historic houses to showcase artisans at work, from filigree goldsmiths and textile weavers to woodcarvers and knife makers, alongside bakers, cheesemakers, and winemakers offering tastings and workshops. Streets and squares fill with folk music, tenore choirs, dance, and seasonal dishes, turning each town into a walkable open‑air museum and kitchen. The format is known locally as Cortes Apertas and has become an essential way to experience the island’s inner regions beyond the coast.
2025 calendar at a glance
- Opening weekend: Bitti, September 6–7, 2025, renews the tradition of starting the circuit with its tenore singing heritage and nuragic sites like Romanzesu.
- September highlights: Oliena (Sep 13–14); Lodine and Sarule (Sep 20–21); Austis, Dorgali, and Orani (Sep 27–28). Each village brings different strengths, from Oliena’s breads and oils to Dorgali’s jewelry, honey, and wines.
- October highlights: Lula, Meana Sardo, Orotelli (Oct 4–5); Gavoi, Lollove, Onanì, Tonara (Oct 11–12); Belvì, Orgosolo, Sorgono (Oct 18–19); Olzai and Ottana (Oct 25–26). Winemaking towns like Sorgono integrate vendemmia traditions and chestnut season in nearby Belvì.
- November highlights: Desulo (Nov 1–2); Mamoiada (from Nov 7) and Ovodda (Nov 8–9); Nuoro and Tiana (Nov 15–16); Atzara and Ollolai (Nov 22–23); Gadoni and Oniferi (Nov 29–30). Mamoiada is famed for its masks (Mamuthones and Issohadores) and strong Cannonau culture.
- December finale: Fonni (Dec 6–8) and closing weekend in Orune and Ortueri (Dec 13–14). Mountain towns lean into winter dishes, pastoral heritage, and Christmas crafts as the circuit ends.
Who organizes it and why it matters
The festival is promoted and organized by the Camera di Commercio di Nuoro and its special agency ASPEN, which convene municipalities and associations across Barbagia to present artisan economies, foodways, and folk traditions to residents and travelers. The 25th‑edition press briefing in late July underlines institutional backing and the goals for artisan and agri‑food valorization in 2025, reinforcing why Autunno in Barbagia is central to the island’s cultural calendar.
What to expect in each village
- Open courtyards: Private homes and old manor houses open rooms and inner patios to display looms, embroidery frames, knives, filigree benches, cork craft, and traditional clothing, often demonstrated by masters at work.
- Food and wine: Tastings of carasau flatbread, seadas with honey, culurgiones, sheep and goat cheeses, cured meats, sweets like papassinos, and pours of Cannonau, Vernaccia, or local vinos; in Sorgono and nearby villages, vendemmia flavors and grape rituals animate mid‑October.
- Music and ritual: Tenore choirs, launeddas, folk dance, and seasonal rites specific to towns such as Mamoiada’s masks mark weekends with sound and pageantry in the streets.
Sample weekend plans
- Bitti (Sep 6–7): Visit artisan cortes, taste shepherd cheeses, attend a tenore performance, and detour to Romanzesu nuragic village in the woods above town.
- Oliena (Sep 13–14): Walk historic lanes for olive oils and pane carasau, then hike Su Gologone spring or Monte Corrasi for limestone panoramas after the cortes.
- Orgosolo + Sorgono (Oct 18–19): See Orgosolo’s murals and folk music, then continue to Sorgono for wine‑and‑harvest themed courtyards and chestnut season flavors.
- Mamoiada (from Nov 7): Explore mask culture at the Mamo Museum, taste Cannonau in open tasting rooms, and watch Mamuthones demonstrations woven into the weekend.
Travel logistics
- When to go: Any weekend from Sep 6 to Dec 14, 2025, following the official schedule by village clusters; arrive early Saturday to beat traffic and secure parking at town edges.
- Getting around: A car is essential to link villages; within towns, everything unfolds on foot. Expect narrow streets, pedestrian‑only zones, and signs leading to cortes trails.
- Where to base: Nuoro makes a central base for many weekends; alternative bases include Dorgali/Oliena for eastern dates, Gavoi/Fonni for mountain weekends, and Mamoiada/Orgosolo during mask and wine time.
Practical tips
- Timing: Peak hours are late morning to mid‑afternoon; plan tastings before 1 pm and again after 3 pm when kitchens and counters reset.
- Cash and cards: Many cortes are family‑run; carry small bills, though larger food courts and official stands often accept cards.
- Dress: Comfortable shoes for cobbles and sloped alleys; bring a light rain layer in October–December and a tote for purchases.
- Etiquette: Ask before photographing people inside private homes, be mindful of queues in small rooms, and dispose of cups and plates in designated eco‑islands to support village efforts.
Culture deep‑dives
- Origins and growth: Cortes Apertas began in Oliena in 1996, later folding into Autunno in Barbagia in 2001; today more than 30 villages participate, drawing visitors from across Sardinia and beyond to sustain artisans and family kitchens.
- UNESCO‑listed singing: Towns like Bitti keep the canto a tenore tradition alive; catching a live set in a stone courtyard is one of the circuit’s most moving experiences.
- Masks and memory: Mamoiada’s masks embody seasonal rituals and community identity; demonstrations and museum visits contextualize the figures often seen in winter festivals.
2025 village list and weekends (official)
- September: Bitti (6–7); Oliena (13–14); Lodine and Sarule (20–21); Austis, Dorgali, Orani (27–28).
- October: Lula, Meana Sardo, Orotelli (4–5); Gavoi, Lollove, Onanì, Tonara (11–12); Belvì, Orgosolo, Sorgono (18–19); Olzai, Ottana (25–26).
- November: Desulo (1–2); Mamoiada (from 7) and Ovodda (8–9); Nuoro, Tiana (15–16); Atzara, Ollolai (22–23); Gadoni, Oniferi (29–30).
- December: Fonni (6–8); Orune, Ortueri (13–14).
Verified details at a glance
- Dates: Sep 6 – Dec 14, 2025, weekends rotating by village clusters.
- Opening and closing: Opens in Bitti (Sep 6–7), closes in Orune and Ortueri (Dec 13–14).
- Organizer: Camera di Commercio di Nuoro with ASPEN; 25th edition press presentation July 31, 2025.
- Format: Cortes Apertas — open courtyards, artisan demos, tastings, folk music and dance, house museums, and guided trails through historic centers.
Map a weekend, choose a village, and step through an open courtyard into Sardinia’s living heritage. Autunno in Barbagia 2025 turns September to December into a feast of voices, crafts, and flavors — plan a route across two or three weekends, book a mountain stay, and savor the island’s most authentic season from doorway to doorway.