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CULTURE AND TERRITORY
Baunei, and the amazing calcareous massive wall that rises above the small town, represent the northern boundary of the Ogliastra
province. The mainly mountain hinterland has a very particular look: it is cut across by deep valleys called codule, which
end in the sea where they form an unusual coast, characterized by irregular calcareous walls and inaccessible tiny beaches. Some of these are so
beautiful that they have been chosen as locations of films and of photographic sessions: precious Mediterranean pearls, cala Luna
and cala Sisine are two stretches of superfine white sand, crystal-clear water and very high sheer rockfaces, while cala
Mariolu reminds of an unexplored tropical paradise due to its tiny white pebbles. A unique shore, as many famous naturalists
have stated: the harshness of the rocks combined with the shades of blue and green of the sea gives to the ensemble a wild,
primitive, uncontaminated atmosphere.
The pureness of the water of Baunei gulf is also proved by the presence of rare specimens: monkseals
, Corsican gulls and queen hawks are remarkable evidence of the environmental state of health. The
sea depths provide a habitat which is equally favourable for the fish fauna: the prairies of phanerogams and of oceanic
poseidonia are the most important indication of the absence of pollution.
A natural feature of Baunei is the famous monolith “Pedra Longa” (high stone), a pointed pinnacle rising out of the
sea, large at the base and thin at the top, which is the final part of the calcareous plateau of Baunei. Further on, the hamlet of S. Maria
Navarrese is springing up due to the recent accomplishment of a marina that is attracting more and more new vacationers. According to a
folk tale, a princess coming from the kingdom of Navarra found shelter from a shipwreck in this small village; as her thank-you,
she had a church built, the small medieval church of S. Maria, in whose garden an ancient oleaster stands showing
a huge foliage. In front of the village the isolotto of Ogliastra rises with its colonies of birds, the only inhabitant, which keep
watch over archeological finds hidden in the sea. Moreover, the Golgo plateau is also really worth visting: here goats
, pigs, horses and the typical Sardinian donkeys with black strips on the back live in
a natural state.
Land of shepherds and farmers, Baunei has developed a gastronomic tradition based on the fresh products of nature: the meat of
goat and of pork roasted on myrtle leaves, the gnocchi made with potatoes (“ur
ladeddos”) and cakes filled with marzipan, orange peel and honey (“su cunfettu”).
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