There is a kind of time, in Sardinia, that is not measured in years but in roots. Before the nuraghi that still dot the hills, before the Phoenicians and the Romans, some trees were already here. They are the island's patriarchs: wild olives twisted by the wind, olive trees with trunks as wide as a house, junipers bent by the mistral into shapes no sculptor could imagine.
Those who tend a vineyard, as we do, soon learn to listen to them. Because a millenary tree tells the same story our vines tell: the story of a land that demands patience and gives back character.
S'Ozzastru of Luras: the Great Elder of Gallura
In the north of the island, in the locality of Santu Baltòlu di Carana, near Lake Liscia, lives the tree many consider the oldest in Italy and among the oldest in Europe: S'Ozzastru, the wild olive of Luras. Studies by the University of Sassari attribute to it between 2,500 and 4,000 years. Its trunk measures almost 12 metres in circumference, its canopy spreads 21 metres wide.
When it was declared a Natural Monument in 1991, S'Ozzastru had already watched every civilisation that ever touched Sardinia pass by. The people of Luras simply call it "the Patriarch". Standing beside it, under that silver canopy, feels less like an excursion and more like a visit: you go to see someone, not something.
S'Ortu Mannu: the garden of queens
In the Sulcis, a few kilometres from Villamassargia, lies S'Ortu Mannu, "the great orchard": a park of hundreds of monumental olive trees grafted centuries ago onto wild olive stock. Among them reigns Sa Reina, the Queen, with her monumental trunk of around 16 metres in circumference. A recent scientific study dated her origin to the 13th century: more than 750 years of harvests, of pruning hands, of generations passing down the same gesture.
Perhaps this is the secret of S'Ortu Mannu: it is not wilderness, it is a pact between man and tree that has lasted eight centuries. The same pact every winegrower renews at each harvest.
The junipers of the wind: the patriarchs of home
There is no need, however, to cross the island to meet trees that speak of time. Here in Villasimius, along the coast of Capo Carbonara and among the dunes of Punta Molentis, centuries-old junipers grow bent by the mistral, clinging to the granite, shaped by the same wind that gives our winery its name and caresses our vineyard.
They are not as old as the patriarchs of Luras, but they teach the same lesson: in Sardinia, survival belongs to those who bend without breaking. It is the lesson we find again in the glass, in the backbone of our Brennas, Cannonau di Sardegna DOC, and in the saline freshness of 'Entu, our Vermentino, which even carries the wind in its name.
An itinerary of trees and wine
Visitors to southern Sardinia can build a simple, powerful itinerary: the olive trees of S'Ortu Mannu in the morning, the beaches and junipers of Villasimius in the afternoon, and at sunset a tasting at the winery among rows of vines that look out to sea. Because wine, like millenary trees, is a way of drinking time.
And if the island stays in your heart after you return home, our wines travel with you: find them in the Colline del Vento online shop.
Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
What is the oldest tree in Sardinia?
The wild olive S'Ozzastru in Luras, Gallura, to which studies by the University of Sassari attribute between 2,500 and 4,000 years. It has been a Natural Monument since 1991 and is considered among the oldest trees in Europe.
Where are the millenary olive trees in Sardinia?
The two main places are Luras (Gallura, northern Sardinia), with the wild olives of Santu Baltòlu, and S'Ortu Mannu in Villamassargia (Sulcis, southern Sardinia), a park of hundreds of monumental olive trees ruled by Sa Reina.
Can the millenary trees be visited freely?
Yes, both sites are open to the public. S'Ortu Mannu is an equipped nature oasis; the Luras wild olive is reached with a short detour from the road to Lake Liscia.
Are there monumental trees near Villasimius?
Along the coast of Capo Carbonara and at Punta Molentis grow centuries-old junipers shaped by the mistral, among the symbols of the Villasimius landscape. You will meet them easily while walking between the coves.
Can a visit to the millenary trees be combined with a wine tasting?
Yes: S'Ortu Mannu is about an hour from Villasimius, where our organic winery offers tours and tastings among the vineyards. Book on the Tours and Tastings page.
