With its 1834 meters (6013 feet) Punta La Marmora is the highest mountain in Sardinia, and a place to enjoy great views of the surroundings and more – of course only on clear days!
You see, even though Sardinia is a mainly mountainous region, there aren’t as many high mountains in Sardinia as in other Italian regions. The vast majority of high ground on the island are hills, and the only exceptions are the Gennargentu Massif mountains. That’s where Punta La Marmora is located.
If you are curious to find out more about the highest peak in Sardinia, how to visit and enjoy it, continue reading this post!
What You Must Know About Punta La Marmora – The Highest Mountain In Sardinia
Where is Punta La Marmora?
The mountain is located nearby Desulo, a small, lovely village in the Nuoro province. That’s where you should plan to spend the night if you intend to visit. Alternatively, you could also stay in Fonni, another pretty village in the Barbagia region and known to be the highest village in Sardinia.
The mountain is home to a variety of flowers and animals that find their ideal habitat there and one of the best places to spot wildlife in Sardinia. Being the highest mountain in Sardinia, it’s also the coldest place on the island: together with the Bruncu Spina (the second highest mountain in Sardinia), it’s the only place on the island that offers a cable car service to the ski slopes in winter – yes, you can ski in Sardinia!
Skiing in Punta La Marmora
Like said before, if you happen to be in Sardinia during the winter, you can spend some time enjoying the snow: this area is the coldest on the island and, especially during these last years, the ski slopes in Bruncu Spina offer a nice chance to enjoy winter sports.
Keep in mind that while you can certainly ski in Punta La Marmora, there are no glaciers in Sardinia – not even on the highest mountain. So skiing is pretty much dependent on the amount of snowfall. But the slopes are nice and moderate, which means skiing there (when available) is good for the entire family.
Hiking
During the spring, summer and fall months, you can enjoy enjoy hiking in Punta la Marmora. There are several hiking trails – mostly old mule tracks – and the peak is marked with a big cross: you will certainly know when you reach the peak!
Other hiking trails are best enjoyed with a guide, as they will allow you to fully explore the area which will lead you through the many charms and mysteries of the mountainous region of Sardinia. I wholeheartedly recommend joining a tour, if you have time! Trained guides will not only lead you safely throughout the area but will share all sorts of information on the region, its flora and the animals and they have a trained eye so you have more chances to spot local wildlife – you can even spot rare animals such as mouflons and eagles!
Sunrise and Stargazing
A very suggestive event you can enjoy in this part of the island is the “Aspettando l’alba a Punta la Marmora” (Waiting for dawn at Punta La Marmora), which is held each year on San Lorenzo’s night (August 9th), which is said the be the best night for stargazing in Italy.
To get to the spot where you can see the shooting stars and the sunrise, you will have to hike. It’s a quite challenging hike that starts in an area called S’Arena, about 20 minutes drive from Desulo. That’s where most spend the night, camping.
You will then wake up at 4:30 am and start hiking – it’s a total of 13.6 km (8.5 miles) there and back to the peak, from where you will be able to observe a magnificent sunrise with views that – on clear days – will go all the way to the sea and the rest of the Gennargentu Mountains.
Other High Mountains In Sardinia
In case you were curious about the other mountains in Sardinia, here’s a small table for more information.
| MOUNTAIN | ELEVATION IN METERS | ELEVATION IN FEET |
| Punta La Marmora | 1834 | 6013 |
| Bruncu Spina | 1829 | 6000 |
| Punta Florisa | 1822 | 5977 |
| Monte Spada | 1595 | 5233 |
| Monte Corrasi | 1463 | 4800 |
| Monte Perdedu | 1334 | 4376 |
| Monte Toneri | 1328 | 4356 |
Further Readings
For more interesting facts about Sardinia, make sure to read my other posts:
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