A cultural workshop, a centre of research into artistic forms and experimentation, a communicative space for the promotion of modern and contemporary art, a ‘school’ focused on training and raising awareness and, lastly, ‘also’ an exhibition space. The MAN, Art Museum in the province of Nuoro, is unique in the Sardinian territory, as it goes beyond the very concept of a museum, opening up to the external context and operating at 360 degrees in the conservation and promotion of cultural heritage. Not surprisingly, it is the only museum in Sardinia to be a part of the National Association of Contemporary Art Museums in Italy.
The museum is located in Nuoro, in a building dating back to the 1920s, not far from another symbol of the city’s artistic soul: Piazza Satta, designed by Costantino Nivola and enriched by his works. The museum allows you to ‘travel’ through Sardinia’s artistic world and through its contacts with the outside world, in a balance between memory and innovation.
Inside the MAN, there is a permanent collection with a steadily increasing number of works – currently around 600. Works by the main Sardinian artists are on display there, including Antonio Ballero, Francesco Ciusa, Maria Lai, Mario Delitala and Nivola himself. As well as the collections, the museum periodically hosts numerous temporary exhibitions, thanks to which you can learn more about the most recent creative trends and movements that characterised the artistic landscape between the 19th and 21st centuries. Alongside the exhibitions, MAN organises extra muros initiatives, which are spread across the territory, with the involvement of the local communities. Educational activities are added to all this: guided tours, workshops for school children and adults, special projects for different target audiences, with the aim of stimulating creative abilities and analysing the evolution of society through its artistic production.
A kaleidoscope of cultural and natural attractions exists in and around Nuoro. It is impossible not to associate the name of Grazia Deledda with the town at the foot of Mount Ortobene, where her birthplace is now a museum dedicated to her literary works. Barbagia traditions are on display at the Museum of Sardinian Life and Folk Traditions; furthermore, you can experience them on the last Sunday in August on the occasion of the Festa del Redentore (Feast of the Redeemer), during which worshippers make a pilgrimage to the top of the mountain, a thousand metres above sea level. In the town, the majestic cathedral of Santa Maria della Neve is also worth a visit, while on the road to Orune the fascinating Archaeological Park of Noddule awaits you.
