Rione San Pietro

Together with Seuna, San Pietro forms the original nucleus of Nuoro’s urban developmentis.  It is well known for its narrow alleys, old stone buildings, and timeless charm. The neighborhood, originally developed around the churches of San Pietro and del Rosario, gradually extended toward Piazza San Giovanni and La Solitudine.

Known in the local dialect as Santu Predu, this district was considered, during the 19^th  century, the wealthiest and most prestigious area of the city. It was home to landowners and livestock breeders, who had often built their fortunes through questionable means. These residents looked down on the people of Seuna, a neighboring and poorer district, whose inhabitants were often forced to work in their service and lacked social status. However, as writer Salvatore Satta recalls in the book “Il giorno del giudizio”, the people of San Pietro also harbored a certain envy toward the Seunesi. When someone from Seuna passed away, the funeral procession had to cross the main street of Nuoro on its way to the cemetery - located in San Pietro - receiving the public respect and homage of the city’s elite. The Santupredini, ironically, were denied this same symbolic gesture.

At the heart of the district lies the birthplace of Nobel Prize-winning writer Grazia Deledda, which has been a museum since 1983.

San Pietro is also home to many other important cultural and historical landmarks:

• Piazza Su Connottu, site of the 1868 revolt against feudal abuses
• Casa Chironi, birthplace of jurist and politician Gian Pietro Chironi, now the Museum of Ceramics
• The house of sculptor Francesco Ciusa
• Palazzo Martoni, former town hall
• Casa dei Contrafforti, possibly the chaplain’s residence for the Church of San Carlo
• The old Guiso Gallisai mill
• Piazza Salvatore Satta
• And the churches of Santa Croce, San Carlo, and San Salvatore

Every year, around the time of the Madonna delle Grazie celebration (November 21st), the event “Autunno in Barbagia” takes place.

The goal of this initiative is to promote and support the region’s finest products and traditions - particularly in the fields of food, crafts, and culture.

In the town’s most charming streets and squares, visitors can watch live demonstrations of ancient culinary practices, including traditional bread-making, fresh pasta preparation, and the time-honored arts of goldsmithing, iron forging, and classic Sardinian pastry-making.
The event also features exhibitions, tastings, art displays, guided visits to the city’s many museums, choral singing in churches, and much more.

Su Connottu square