Limbara Mountain

The Limbara mountain chain certainly is one of the most popular mountainous areas of Sardinia, its fame is given by the various and curious shapes of its granites carved by the wind, by the cool waters, the springs hidden in the dense verdant woods.  The views over the peaks are astonishing, widely varying from the countryside and vineyards of Alta Gallura to the emerald sea of the Gulf of Olbia, from La Maddalena towards the mountains of Corsica. Nature in this corner of Sardinia is a mosaic of redwoods, pines, fir trees, junipers and cork embracing the Mediterranean scrub.

Punta Sa Berritta reaches 1362 m and makes Limbara the highest granite mountain massif on the island, and one of the highest mountains in Sardinia, after Gennargentu and Supramontes.

The characteristic rocks of Limbara have various multiform peaks, granite boulders waterfalls covered with lichens, crossed by numerous springs, rivers and streams, protected by oaks, pine forests, and many aromatic plants in addition to various species of plants, many of them unique in Sardinia, and some even, unique in the entire world.

Near the Balistreri top, 1,359 m, stays the church of La Madonna della Neve.

The slopes of Limbara are rich in vineyards, honey and the whole mountain is an explosion of colors throughout the year: yellow from the Corsican broom filling the summer months, white and yellow from the Santa Barbara grass in spring time, the violet of saffron in winter, but the most coveted is the 'Rosa del Limbara' that blooms in May over 800 meters with its pink-fusy petals, on the Limbara is also located the Sardinian-Corsican purple, a rare flower that is found only on these two islands and on the island of Elba.

The fauna of Limbara is made by wild boars, weasels, martens, the Sardinian hare and the wild rabbit, the Bedriaga lizard, a muflons reserve is very close to the hotel. Hundreds of species of birds including the golden eagle, the buzzard, the peregrine falcon and s'astore, countless insects, and the rare Sardinian Triton in the streams.

From the past we inherited the place names: tafoni murati (li conchi fraicati), le carbonaie (li chei), gli stazzi, the nuraghi, the tombs of the giants and the domus des Janas (fairy houses). Still in use is the wise tradition of using medicinal herbs and plants to produce ointments even for pharmaceutical use, over time this has made Limbara a magical place precisely because of the many stories and legends about the healers of High Gallura.