From the heart of Ulassai, the 'Maria Lai trail' climbs up the mountain to the sa Tappara canyon, its walls an incredible natural gym with more than a hundred free-climbing routes, some easy for beginners, others loved by experienced climbers. The canyon opens out onto the Padru valley, and from its opposite sides you can see the ghost towns of Gairo and Osini, overwhelmed by the common fate of their abandoned houses, made fragile by landslides and mudslides after days of incessant rain. Then came the slow exodus to safer shores, but nostalgia drove the villagers to return to the old houses to take care of the gardens and vegetable plots. More than half a century has passed since then, and the irises and calla lilies are still blooming, climbing roses cover the dry stone walls, the trees continue to bear fruit as a reminder of the life that once was and that will perhaps return. In old Osini some of the houses have been restored and the bell of the renovated church occasionally rings in the valley.