It was the Parish Church of Onanì and the centre that the ancient village revolved around. Today, however, it stands on a hill on the western outskirts of the town – on the road to Bitti -, and continues to be its symbol, as well as representing a symbol of Romanesque style in the Nuoro area. The Church of San Pietro Apostolo is a building constructed almost entirely from small granite ashlars, while its external cladding is made from schist slabs. It dates back to the second half of the 12th century and is an example of ‘minor’ Romanesque architecture, characterised by a single nave, with an apse facing south-east. On the façade, you will notice the portal with a raised relieving arch and, on the same axis, a cross-shaped opening. Up above, at the top of the slopes, stands a bell gable. The cross-shaped window is repeated on the back, just above the roof of the apse, where another single-lancet window appears. The interior is no less surprising: the dome of the apse and the barrel vault are, in fact, decorated with frescoes and, particularly on the ceiling of the church hall, you can admire the sacred scene of Saint Peter receiving the keys to Heaven.

The devotion of the inhabitants of Onanì to the small church is also demonstrated by a grim legend told in the village, according to which all the perpetrators of a series of raids that took place in the 1960s and 1970s inside the sanctuary came to a tragic end. It is very likely that the position of the church allowed it to act as a point of reference for medieval travellers and as spiritual ‘protection’ for the surrounding countryside. It also served as a way of ‘Christianising’ an area where there were ruins considered pagan. A few dozen metres from the church, to the west, are the remains of the nuraghe Santu Pedru (or Pretu), one of the many elements proving human presence in the Onanì territory during the Bronze Age. There are also Giants’ Tombs and a sacred well, while several Domus de Janas date back to the previous pre-Nuragic phase.

In addition to religious architecture and archaeology, Onanì, included among the Borghi Autentici d’Italia (Authentic Villages of Italy), is worth visiting for the murals that embellish the village streets, the work of the painter Piero Asproni and students of the Brera Academy, and for the artisan and food and wine traditions, which you can discover during a stage of Autumn in Barbagia.