Fonni

Fonni stands at about 1,000 metres on the northern slopes of the Gennargentu and is the highest municipality in Sardinia. Stone houses, painted murals and pastoral traditions shape the town, while the surrounding territory contains important prehistoric sites and mountain landscapes.

Why it matters

Fonni is the principal town of the Barbagia di Ollolai and a centre of Sardinian mountain pastoral culture. Its built-up area rises toward the Gennargentu massif, whose highest peaks include Punta La Marmora and Bruncu Spina. The town’s location and traditions have also made it a subject in the writing of Grazia Deledda, who described the village and its surrounding mountains.

What to notice

Historic quarters include houses with scandulas, traditional wooden shingles, and murals depicting local life. The parish church of San Giovanni Battista anchors the town centre. The complex of the Vergine dei Martiri includes a basilica, Franciscan convent, oratory and cumbessias. The pastoral culture museum presents objects connected with rural life, and the pastore fonnese is a dog breed associated with the area.

Context and history

Fonni’s territory contains a substantial prehistoric and Nuragic record. The BIM Taloro account reports eighteen Nuragic villages, more than forty-five nuraghi and twenty-five giants’ tombs, alongside domus de janas. The sanctuary of Gremanu and the aligned tombs of Madau are among the notable sites. The Vergine dei Martiri complex dates to the seventeenth century. Annual traditions include the pàliu de Fonne horse contest, the Urthos and Buttudos carnival masks and the autumn openings of courtyards and cellars.