Mamoiada

The heart of traditions: Mamuthones and Issohadores

Mamoiada is the stage for one of the oldest and most mysterious Carnivals in the Mediterranean. The Mamuthones, figures clad in sheep skins and laden with cowbells, proceed in silent, rhythmic procession, led by the Issohadores, elegant dancers with red bodices and white masks who throw their "soha" (rope) to symbolically capture the audience. This ancestral ritual, which begins on the evening of January 16 with the fires of St. Anthony the Abbot, attracts thousands of visitors each year eager to witness a unique spectacle.

A territory that speaks: archaeology and spirituality

Mamoiada's history is rooted in the Neolithic, evidenced by the extraordinary Sa Perda Pintà (the "painted stone"), a stele more than two and a half meters high historiated with concentric motifs and hooked sticks, considered a unicum in the whole of Sardinia. Next to it, some 40 domus de Janas emerge, among which Sa Conchedda Istevene stands out, and as many as 32 nuraghi, such as the imposing Arràilo, surrounded by villages and Giants' tombs.

The village retains traces of Roman times, such as the fountain of Su 'Antaru Vetzu and the district Su 'Astru (from the Latin castrum), while the Middle Ages bequeathed churches such as Nostra Signora di Loreto, with precious frescoes, and the striking country shrine of Saints Cosmas and Damian, surrounded by 50 cumbessias for pilgrims, evidence of the Byzantine faith.

Living culture, even in everyday life

The historic center of Mamoiada, with its narrow cobbled streets and granite houses, lies on a gentle slope, crossed by the main arteries of Via Mannu and Corso Vittorio Emanuele III, which meet in Piazza Santa Croce, the beating heart of the town. This is where the town hall is located and, during the holidays, events and craft markets enliven the seasons.

Not only masks: the Museum of Mediterranean Masks allows visitors to learn about the similarities between Mamoiada's carnival traditions and those of other pastoral cultures in the Mediterranean, while the Museum of Culture and Labor tells the story of the area's productive and peasant soul.

Wine, bread and hospitality

Mamoiada is a land of winemakers and cannonau, a full-bodied red wine that comes from the rolling granite hills and has won important national recognition. Other local delicacies include granazza, an ancient native grape variety that has been rediscovered, and dairy products such as fiore sardo, ricotta, sa frughe and casu martzu, often eaten with traditional pane carasau.

The village particularly comes alive during "Tapas", the autumn event that is part of the Autunno in Barbagia circuit, during which it is possible to taste dishes such as maccarrones de busa, pane frattau, boiled sheep, roast suckling pig, fava beans with lard and typical sweets such as orulettas and s'aranzada.

Nature and sports in the land of shepherds

Mamoiada is nestled in a hilly landscape furrowed by springs and streams, forests and paths beaten by generations of shepherds. Today these "transhumance paths" are ideal routes for hikers and mountain bikers, who can discover the ancient rural huts (sos pinnettos) and enjoy the unique panorama that sweeps between Gennargentu and Supramonte.

Mamoiada is not just a town to visit, but a world to experience, in every season, amidst intense scents of must, ritual drums, stones that tell and hands that hand down. A place where every alley tells ancient stories, every festival engages the heart and every glass of wine celebrates life.