What is Mamoiada known for?

Black-masked figures in sheepskins with thirty kilos of cowbells, walking in two lines from January 17 through Carnival Tuesday. High-altitude granite-grown Cannonau, with around 30 small estates including some of Sardinia's most awarded producers. Neolithic carved menhir with concentric spirals, discovered in 1997 and now central to the village's prehistoric collection.

Mamoiada is a comune in the province of Nuoro, Sardinia region of Italy, about 128 kilometers from Sassari.

Sardinia · Nuoro

Mamoiada

The Barbagia village where the Mamuthones come out on January 17, twelve men in black sheepskins carrying thirty kilos of cowbells.

644m

Elevation

128 km / 80 mi

Nearest hub (Sassari)

2,385

Population

Apr–Jun, Sep–Nov

Best time to visit

Recognised as

Città del Vino

Why come

Mamoiada sits at 644 meters in the Barbagia di Ollolai, fifteen kilometers south of Nuoro on a granite plateau under the Gennargentu. The village is known for two things. The first is the Mamuthones, masked figures who walk in two parallel lines through the streets on the feast of Sant'Antonio Abate on January 17 and on the Sunday and Tuesday of Carnival. Each Mamuthone wears a black carved wooden mask, a heavy sheepskin and roughly thirty kilos of cowbells on his back, escorted by the Issohadores in white masks who lasso onlookers from the crowd. The Museo delle Maschere Mediterranee, opened in 2001, sets the rite in a comparative Mediterranean frame. The second thing is Cannonau. Mamoiada's granite hills produce some of the highest-rated Cannonau in Sardinia, with a handful of small estates working old bush-trained vines at altitude.

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Gallery

5 photos · scroll →

Known for

Museo delle Maschere Mediterranee
Museum opened in 2001 documenting the Mamuthones and Issohadores alongside masked carnival traditions across the Mediterranean basin.
Carnevale di Mamoiada
Annual masked procession on January 17 and Carnival Sunday and Tuesday, with Mamuthones in black sheepskins and Issohadores in white masks.
Cannonau di Mamoiada
Roughly 30 small estates producing Cannonau on granite slopes between 500 and 800 meters, several with cellar visits by appointment.
Sa Perda Pinta
Neolithic standing stone carved with concentric spirals, found in 1997 near Boeli and displayed at the village's mask museum.
Chiesa di Sant'Antonio Abate
Parish church and ritual starting point of the January 17 Mamuthones procession, with the bonfire at the heart of the feast.

When to visit

Best months · Apr–Jun, Sep–Nov

Best
Hot or crowded
Quiet
Mostly closed

January 17 is the calendar event. The Mamuthones walk that night and then again on Carnival Sunday and Tuesday, usually in early February. April through June and September through November are the comfortable months at 644 meters: cool nights, walkable trails, vineyard visits at the small Cannonau estates. Summer is hot but tempered by altitude. The August feast of Santa Maria d'Itria fills the village for a weekend. December and the early winter weeks are quiet and cold, with frost on the higher vineyards. Most cellars open year-round by appointment.