San Sperate

About

A stone’s throw from the famous beaches of Southern Sardinia, San Sperate offers a very different kind of scenery. The fertile soil around the town is filled with peach and citrus orchards, which have their own festival every July in association with the town’s patron saint. Equally famous are the hundreds of vibrant murals that cover the buildings. In 1968, local artist Pinuccio Sciola started the project to transform the village into a workshop where local and foreign artists could contribute. Since then, artists from around have added their mark, and now there are over 500 colorful murals to find, which are further enriched by the 100-or-so sculptural installations. Pinuccio Sciola was also an accomplished sculptor, so if you don’t want to roam the streets, at least visit the Garden of Sounds. For this open air museum, Sciola crafted megalithic structures reminiscent of Sardinia’s ancient menhirs, which produce a variety of sounds when rubbed.