Santa Maria Navarrese is a beach resort in the municipality of Baunei, in Ogliastra.
Famous for its sea, Santa Maria is also home to the Natural Wild Olive Tree Monument of Santa Maria Navarrese.
This forest of wild olive trees has specimens considered among some of the longest surviving in Europe.
The most impressive one reaches a height of 10 metres with a trunk circumference of around 8.40 metres. Its vegetative state is good, despite clear signs of age. Indeed, the trunk is partially hollow and there are ancient traces of fire. It is one of the largest in the country.
As well as the wild olive trees, there are also carob and hackberry trees, again very large in size, and exotic essences.
In the area nearby, we find the church of Santa Maria Navarrese, built in 1052 on the wishes of Isabella di Navarra, from where it gets the name “navarrese”.
