Nuoro is a year-round destination, though its highland position means it can be cold and rainy in winter. The best times to visit are spring (April–June) and autumn (September–October), when temperatures are comfortable and the surrounding hills are green.
Summer is warm but rarely as punishing as the coast. The big event is the Festa del Redentore on the last Sunday of August, a major pilgrimage and folk festival with traditional costumed processions from villages across the Barbagia — one of the most important cultural events in Sardinia's calendar. Book accommodation well in advance if you plan to visit then.
Carnival season (February–March) brings the famous masked festivals to the Barbagia villages. Mamoiada, just 15km from Nuoro, is famous for the Mamuthones — figures in black sheepskin cloaks and masks who process through the village to the sound of cowbells in a ceremony of uncertain but ancient origin. Oristano's Sartiglia tournament is further afield but another highlight of the Sardinian carnival calendar.