Uri rises on a hilly terrain and it’s located in the north-western part of Sardinia (Coros), about 150 meters above sea level. It’s about 13km away. from Sassari and 18km from Alghero and has a population of 3.000 inhabitants. It belongs to the province of Sassari. The first traces of human presence in the area are probably date back to the Nuragic age as evidenced by the presence, in the center of the town, of the nuragic site “Santa Cadrina” and in the remaining municipal area of many ancients’ ruins called Nuraghi, numerous “Domus de janas” and also a 3 meters high monolith called “Sa Pedra Longa”. Near the town is located the Cuga’s lake, which takes its name from the homonym vanished medieval village.
At the bottom there are some archaeological remains, only visible when the lake is dry between September and December and in its vicinity, there are numerous Nuraghe as well. Close from Uri there are the ruins of the Abbey of “Santa Maria di Paulis” built at the behest of the Judge of Torres Comita II in 1205 d.C., it was for the time the largest basilica in the entire region called “Giudicato”; although currently located in the municipal area of Ittiri, the homonymous Madonna is honored and celebrated on the Tuesday after Pentecost in the Municipality of Uri, where a new church was built in 1995 bearing the same title. On 13 September, however, Our Lady of Patience is celebrated, who is the patroness of the town. In the area, rugged reliefs of limestone, basaltic and trachytic rocks alternate with gentle hills covered with lush Mediterranean scrub and cultivated with cereals, vineyards, olive groves and artichoke groves: agriculture is the main wealth. Obviously, the proximity to Sassari means that many people works in the tertiary sector. Uri also stands out for its excellent wines and excellent oil.
For this reason, the town is part of the cities of oil as well as cities of wine. Artichokes deserve a separate chapter, of the prickly type, a product of local excellence, to which the artichoke festival is dedicated in March, one of the major Sardinian agri-food festivals, which attracts thousands of visitors. Services present in Uri are: Multipurpose Centre, Playroom, Municipal Kindergarten, Municipal Library, Paulis Cultural Association Library, Nursery School, Primary School, 1st grade Secondary School, 11-a-side football field, 5-a-side football field, Sport palace, multi-purpose tensile structure, parish oratory, public park with games for children. There are also about 40 associations of volunteering.
