Nùoro is a small town, it has around 37.000 inhabitants. It is located in the centre of Sardinia, and is the capital of the province with the same name. It is part of the sub-region known as “Barbagia” which includes other surrounding villages. The other three sub-regions of the province of Nùoro are: the “Baronie” of Siniscola and Orosei, the “Barbagie” of Ollolai and Belvì, and the “Marghine”. Nùoro, cradle of Sardinia's ancient and genuine traditions, is considered the cultural capital of the island and is often called “the Sardinian Athens”. The town is surrounded by a territory of savage beauty that goes from the slope of Mount Ortobene to the great Supramonte limestone massif . Most part of the municipal territory is used for farming, while other parts are used as forest of holm-oak and cork-oak, or used for agriculture. Nùoro has a Mediterrean climate, with not-too-much hot summers, mild springs and cold winters. The economy is centered on services and marketing. Flourishing is the sector of milk and cheese, that is based on farming, as well that of the the artisanal pottery and leather manufactoring. Another important aspect of the economy is tourism, thanks to the some writers, artists and poets who were born in the town, and the presence of some of the Sardinia 's most famous museum and publishers houses. The Sardinian name of Nùoro is “Nùgoro”, whose original meaning was lost in the course of time, ; the main theory is that it comes from the words “Nur” or “Ur”, which means "hearth" or "fireplace". This theory can be true if we think that the people prefer to be conservative, expecially from the linguistic side, in fact we still found some ancient words that are older than latin. Some examples of this words are still used to name some quarters of the town, as for instance “Ugolìo”, “Cuccullìo”, “Tuccurutài”, which probably come from the Nuragic language (1600-1100 B.C.).
