Gavoi, the slow heart of Barbagia between cheese and lake

While summer pushes thousands of people onto Sardinia's coasts, the island's interior remains almost suspended in time. Gavoi, little more than two thousand inhabitants perched on the Barbagia plateau in the province of Nuoro, is one of those places the rush to the sea has left behind. The dark granite houses cluster along narrow alleys, the red-tiled roofs chase one another uphill, and the rhythm of the day is set by the bells and by the slow pace of those climbing towards the church of San Gavino.

The name of Gavoi is bound up with cheese. Fiore Sardo, a smoked pecorino of ancient tradition, is not a souvenir here but a daily craft: you find it in the shops, you taste it aged alongside carasau bread and the bitter honey of the strawberry tree. It is worth stopping to talk with those who make it, because it is precisely in this direct exchange that travel becomes responsible, far from the mass circuits. The Sardinian language too, still alive in the conversations of the square, speaks of an identity that endures.

A few kilometres from the centre, Lake Gusana opens up an unexpected landscape: a mirror of water among wooded hills, trails for walking or cycling, and silences that elsewhere seem impossible in summer. It is a man-made reservoir, but the natural setting of the Gennargentu makes it an ideal starting point for walks on foot, among holm oaks, cork groves and ancient springs.

Gavoi is best visited away from the crowds: spring and autumn bring mild temperatures and hills ablaze with colour, while winter reveals the village's most authentic and intimate face. Those seeking a slow alternative to the Sardinian coasts will find here stone, flavours and time that flows differently.

Related guides: Sardinia off the routes: inland villages and little-known destinations · Little-known villages by the sea and lakes of Italy.

How to get there

Gavoi rises in the heart of Barbagia, in the mountainous interior of the province of Nuoro: by car it is reached from Nuoro, climbing up to the plateau along the inland roads that link the towns of the area such as Fonni, Ollolai and Sarule. The reference airports are Olbia-Costa Smeralda and Cagliari-Elmas, both a couple of hours away by road. Given the location in the island's interior, the car is by far the most practical means.

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