Ollolai is a ''

comune A (; : , ) is an administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions () and provinces (). The can also have the City status in Italy, titl ...

'' at the centre of Barbagia, in the

province of Nuoro The province of Nuoro (; ) is a province in the autonomous island region of Sardinia, Italy. Its capital is the city of Nuoro. It has an area of , and, , a total population of 210,972. The province is divided into 74 ''comuni'' (: ''comune''), t ...

Sardinia Sardinia ( ; ; ) is the Mediterranean islands#By area, second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, and one of the Regions of Italy, twenty regions of Italy. It is located west of the Italian Peninsula, north of Tunisia an ...

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

. Its territory covers an area of . It is the main town of the Barbagia di Ollolai.

Places of interest

Architecture

The main square of the village was created in the early 20th century by diverting the stream that crossed it. Inside it lies a church dedicated to St. Michael the Archangel, which contains paintings by Carmelo Floris in the apse as well as a crucifix painted by Franco Bussu, an inhabitant of Ollolai. The oldest part of the church is a chapel dedicated to

St. Bartholomew Bartholomew was one of the twelve apostles of Jesus according to the New Testament. Most scholars today identify Bartholomew as Nathanael, who appears in the Gospel of John (1:45–51; cf. 21:2). New Testament references The name ''Bartholomew ...

Near the town centre, there is another church dedicated to

Anthony of Padua Anthony of Padua, Order of Friars Minor, OFM, (; ; ) or Anthony of Lisbon (; ; ; born Fernando Martins de Bulhões; 15 August 1195 – 13 June 1231) was a Portuguese people, Portuguese Catholic priest and member of the Order of Friars Minor. ...

, where the Feast of Saint Anthony is traditionally held along with a lighting of a bonfire. A few kilometres (miles) from the village towards the valley, there lies a church dedicated to

Saint Peter Saint Peter (born Shimon Bar Yonah; 1 BC – AD 64/68), also known as Peter the Apostle, Simon Peter, Simeon, Simon, or Cephas, was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus and one of the first leaders of the Jewish Christian#Jerusalem ekklēsia, e ...

, rebuilt in the 1970s after the demolition of a Romanesque church. In a valley surrounded by granite peaks lies a church dedicated to

Basil of Caesarea Basil of Caesarea, also called Saint Basil the Great (330 – 1 or 2 January 379) was an early Roman Christian prelate who served as Bishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia from 370 until his death in 379. He was an influential theologian who suppor ...

, built by the Basilian monks and used, after the expulsion of the Basilians, by the Franciscans. The adjoining convent was built later.

Water features

The town is abundant in water features. The most famous is ''Gupunnio,'' the source of which is in the centre of the village, and was recently renamed ''Regina Fontium''. There is also the fountain of Su Sapunadorju, and a few hundred metres (feet) from the town, Su Puthu, which was once used as a watering hole.

Population decline and 2024 U.S. election

Since 1925, Ollolai's population declined from 2,250 to 1,150 residents as families left for economic reasons. Following the

2024 United States presidential election United States presidential election, Presidential elections were held in the United States on November 5, 2024. The Republican Party (United States), Republican Party's Ticket (election), ticket—Donald Trump, who was the 45th president of ...

, the town announced it would offer homes in need of renovation for one euro to Americans wishing to relocate to Ollolai. The town also offers free temporary homes to digital nomads and ready-to-occupy houses for up to (). Ollolai's mayor said the town received 38,000 requests in the weeks following the election.

Notable people

* Michele Columbu (1914–2012), leader of the

Sardinian Action Party The Sardinian Action Party (, , PSd'Az or PSdA) is a Sardinian nationalism, Sardinian nationalist, Regionalism (politics), regionalist and Separatism, separatist list of political parties in Sardinia, political party in Sardinia founded by Sardin ...

( Sardinian nationalist party) * Franco Columbu (no relation, 1941–2019), bodybuilder and actor, twice

Mr. Olympia Mr. Olympia is the title awarded to the winner of the professional men's bodybuilding contest in the open division at Joe Weider's Olympia Fitness & Performance Weekend—an international bodybuilding competition that is held annually and is sanct ...

Arnold Schwarzenegger Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger (born July30, 1947) is an Austrian and American actor, businessman, former politician, and former professional bodybuilder, known for his roles in high-profile action films. Governorship of Arnold Schwarzenegger, ...

(born 1947), Austrian and American actor and politician, honorary citizen of Ollolai

References

Cities and towns in Sardinia {{Sardinia-geo-stub