The beauty of its landscapes and its woods of holm oaks and fillyrea, lapping the town, give this village the appearance of a suggestive crib set in the middle of the constellation of the famous "Tacchi d'Ogliastra", imposing vertical limestone rocks typical of the area. The name of the village is probably of nuragic origin and has to do with these natural monuments, called in Sardinian "assas". U-stone should in fact mean "on this side of the assa". And it is no coincidence that beyond the heel of Mount Corongiu that looks to the East is the village of Ulassai, Ul-assa or "beyond the assa".

To get to this ancient village you need to take the SS 198, loved by centaurs for its winding curves, which from Gerrei climbs up to the pass of Arquerì (984 meters) and then descend to the east coast. The road splits the village in two: in the lower part there is the historic core with its characteristic houses in shale stone, in the highest modern "is biginaus".

The origins of Ussàssai must certainly be sought in the pre-Nuragic period, as demonstrated by the "domus de janas" - literally "fairy houses", or tombs dug into the rock 5 thousand years ago - which we find in the localities of Perdobia and Orgia 'e forrus.

The nuraghi, the magnificent fortresses dating back to 1800-1000 B.C. are seven, Nurassolu, Casteddu 'e Joni, Useligisi, Arcu Addai looking west and Is Coccorronis, Mela and the important village of Taccu Addai looking east. Then the punics, the Carthaginians and also the Romans have left traces of their passage, until they found Ussàssai infeudato in the Judicate of Cagliari. The Pisans and the Spaniards have subsequently conditioned its fate, and the name appears for the first time in a document of 1350, "Villam Ussassay".
In the historic center there is the parish church of San Giovanni Battista which preserves a precious monstrance of 1625. The small country church of San Salvatore belongs to the twelfth century and is also home to another saint, Girolamo, patron of a medieval village that has disappeared, Trobigittei. Built in schist and travertine, in Romanesque-Byzantine style, and surrounded by 16 "posadas" - single-celled houses, shelter for the faithful - the sanctuary is located in a magical place that dominates the Tacchi and their valleys. The holy "roommates" are celebrated in September. Around this place rotates a legend that wants Trobigittei and Pardi destroyed because of a woman, beautiful and cruel, Maria Cadelana.

The most striking heel is Su Casteddu de Joni, a limestone complex composed of dozens of cliffs located about 1000 meters above sea level, which houses the homonymous nuraghe and a rock shaped by the wind called "sa perda de Dante", because it recalls the profile of the Supreme Poet.

Ussasassi is also a place of deep-rooted traditions. Its peasant extraction is condensed into an important ethnographic museum, Sa Domu errica - Museum Begliuti, where, along with the architectural particularities of the building, are preserved interesting relics that testify to customs and customs that women and men have handed down to this day. Bread in particular represents the thread that unites generations from times gone by. The "civargiu", made of semolina and mixed with potatoes takes on an exciting flavor in these places, while "su cocoi" (white bread), finds its artistic transposition in "pani 'e coia", the bread of weddings, "carved" by skilled hands.

Do not miss the famous "culurgionis", pasta filled with potatoes and a particular salted cheese (in Sardinian "casu de fitta") that we also find in the "cocoi prenas", bread stuffed with potatoes and cheese. Unique in its kind is "on stripid", delicious unleavened bread made with pumpkin. There are sweets, real delicacies such as "pardulas", "amarettus", "mustacciolus" and "pani 'e sapa.
The town, always bordered by gardens, vineyards, olive groves and orchards, boasts an important production of apples, which gives the territory a vocation certainly identity.

The queen of the cultivars is the Trempa Orrùbia apple, also called "Ussassa apple", widespread in all the family orchards and of probably native origin. Gardens and orchards are also the land that plunges towards the Rio San Girolamo, the characteristic "iscas", which look at the river and guard the famous "piscinas", pools of fresh water, where the Ussassesi love to bathe in the hot summer afternoons. The territory, which includes part of the state forest Montarbu of Seui, is a true natural park rich in biodiversity, monumental trees, wild species. Here passes the famous Trenino Verde and you can go hiking, mountain biking, freeclimbing and water trekking.