This post is also available in: Italiano (Italian)

South of the municipality of Oliena, in the middle of Barbagia and overlooked by Mount Corrasi, there’s the evocative valley of Lanaitho and a State Forest.

In that valley, there are also some interesting caves that can be visited with the proper speleological equipment such as those of “Sa ohe”, “Su ventu”, “Su mugrone” and “Helihes Artas”. In those caves, there are traces of human settlement dating back to the Upper Palaeolithic, as evidenced in “Corbeddu Cave”: right inside it, the oldest human remains in Sardinia have been recenly found. Not to mention the Nuragic village of “Sa sedda e sos carros”, still featuring an ancient “sacred” spring.

The local vegetation is represented by scattered specimens of holm oaks, yews, maples and phyllirea, growing in the few areas where the soil has managed to slow erosion down. That very 1.730-acre area has hardly ever allowed any proper reforestation activity.
In the southern sector bordering with Orgosolo, there is still an original holm oak forest.

The territory is, therefore, rich in huge holm oaks (Quercus ilex) which have survived throughout the centuries. This very territory, covering about 1.235 acres, can be found among slopes of P.ta Cateddu and Serra Su Lidone, and, in particular, in the areas overlooked by Vaccheddos, Su Fumu, Su Lidone, Brunc’Arvu, Meneghillai, Su Cordu, Dogones, and Mancosu.

Today, this area does not require any major reforestation work. Possible interventions would be limited to the recovery paths and the old Pinnettas (ancient pastoral buildings typical of Sardinia).

The naturalistic value of this area implies the utmost caution when carrying out any intervention on the local vegetation. Minor tree suckering and careful pruning would be allowed only by carefully arranging rows of the resulting waste and debris in order to stem rainwater along the slopes.

Photo source: http://www.exploresardinia.it/pagine/371/8-Foreste-da-vedere-assoluti-in-Sardegna

Text source (in Italian): http://www.paradisola.it/natura/foreste-sardegna/ 740-lanaitho-oliena

This post is also available in: Italiano (Italian)