Gorropu Gorge

About this place

Gorropu Gorge is a deep canyon in the Supramonte area of Sardinia, Italy, marking the boundary between the municipalities of Orgosolo and Urzulei, in the mountains of eastern Sardinia. In the local dialect gorropu means a cliff or a hollowed-out place. The gorge formed when a fault opened in the ground and was then deepened by intense erosion from the waters of the Flumineddu River. Its walls rise more than 500 metres, and its width ranges from 4 metres at the narrowest to several tens of metres elsewhere, making it the deepest canyon in Italy and one of the deepest in Europe. Fossils in its walls reveal its undersea origins between 190 and 60 million years ago. Grey and pink limestone walls rise sheer on either side of a passage choked with huge white boulders, and slopes clad in green Mediterranean scrub fall towards the gorge. It shelters rare endemic plants and animals, among them the Gorropu columbine and a Sardinian newt counted among Europe's rarest amphibians. Visitors walk to the mouth of the gorge on a long, steep trail, then scramble among the huge boulders inside. The hike takes hours and calls for fitness, so wear good shoes, bring plenty of water, and avoid the midday heat in summer.