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Medio Campidiano - Laconi - Menhir
The Medio Campidano province is located on the southwestern part of Sardinia.
It borders on the Oristano province to the north, the Cagliari province to the east, the Carbonia Iglesias and Cagliari provinces to the south.
The province was established recently, in compliance with a 2001 regional law that included a new subdivision of the Sardinian territory, doubling the number of provinces from four to eight.
The surface is 1516 square kilometers (6.3% of the total) and includes 28 municipalities. The province draws its identity from the diversity of the environment (sea, mountains, plains, hills) and the resulting variety of the products. It is located in one of the least populated, but most pristine areas of the region, hence the name the ‘Green Province’.
Since the early ages, in fact, different civilizations settled here attracted by the rich mineral copper, silver, lead and other deposits. However, only in the 19th century did the mineral industry start flourishing, and it crashed irreparably after World War II.
Today the remains of that era are still visible: yards, villages and small towns constitute a significant heritage of industrial archaeology.
The province is included in the Sardinia Geo-mineral Park: within it there are several mineral sites of great interest and allure that are acclaimed destinations for tourists and enthusiasts alike. The main sites are Arbus and Guspini, but noteworthy are also Gonnosfanadiga, Villacidro, San Gavino and Sardara.
The province is also dotted with villages that have preserved magnificent examples of traditional architecture, with houses made with bricks and the local stone and the Sardinian tiles that are produced here. Among them, Collinas, Sanluri, Segariu, Serramanna and Serrenti. These are villages that host churches from different periods and different architectural styles ranging from Romanesque to gothic-Aragonese, from baroque to Renaissance. Noteworthy are also the churches scattered throughout the fields and often nestled in amazing natural landscapes, which have become the legacy of the relation between religion and a rural culture that links the daily activities with demonstrations of faith. Among them, the church of S. Maria de is Acquas in Sardara; S. Severa in Gonnosfanadiga; the field sanctuary of S. Marina in Villanovaforru; the sanctuary of the Madonna d’Itria in Gesturi; the church of S. Sisinnio, set in a grove of millennial olive trees, the small church of S. Giuseppe in the cherry tree valley of Villascema in Villacidro, and many others.
Moreover, remarkable are the countless local museums through which it is possible to learn about the history, the monuments, the tradition and the customs that characterize the island. The province, inhabited since the early ages for the fertility of the land and for its strategic location, shows numerous archeological finds and sites; among the most famous, the nuraghi complex of Su Nuxari a Barumini, declared by UNESCO World Heritage Site.Of a later period are the Phoenician-Punic sites of the ancient Neapolis in Guspini, and the Roman Sardara Thermal Baths, and the Genna Maria complex in Villanovaforru and sa Domu e s’Orcu in Siddi, one of the most spectacular examples of nuragic funerary architecture of the whole island.
There are many remains of the medieval period: churches and castles, such as the castle and village of Sanluri, can be found throughout the province. The territory features also a pristine environment. The Linas Range occupies most of the area of the province and displays a rich and diverse territory: dense centennial forests that cover the mountains, springs and waterfalls full of water (during the rainy season) such as the Sa Spendula.
Moreover, the area is home to many protected species such as the mouflon, Bonelli’s Eagle, wild boar and griffon vulture. The countryside provides the visitor with spectacular views of the Marmilla Hills and the Giara Plateau. Lastly, there are many wonderful beaches thanks to the 47 km of coastline.
For nature lovers, the province offers many trekking opportunities, ranging from easy to strenuous, to discover the magnificent environment that sustains Holm oak, juniper trees, strawberry trees, mouflons and wild boars, Sardinian elk and the small horses of the Giara Plateau, which are the last survivors of a breed probably imported from Phoenician or Greek sailors.
The province is also a perfect destination for sea lovers, with its varied coastline where long stretches of beach (fine and white in some places, coarser and filled with shell fragments in others), are interspersed between small coves and cliffs 20-60 meters tall. The area near Arbus is called Costa Verde, the Green Coast, because the maquis covers the hills and the sand dunes that gradually descend to the sea; it is frequented mainly by tourists in search of quiet and silence, since it has not been spoiled like other parts of the coast.
In addition, throughout the year there are festivals and events that draw tourists from every corner of the island; the common denominator of many of these events is religion, which in this area blends with pagan cults joining sacred and profane in a compelling and harmonic way.
Prayers, history, legends and myths create an atmosphere of faith and mysticism where the traditional costumes, the colours of the festivals, the smell of the food, the music and the chanting make the event a unique experience that cannot be missed.
Campidano and Marmilla produce a special type of bread named civraxu, a large focaccia by the crunchy crust and the soft core.
Characteristic of the area are also the pulse soups with lard and aromatic herbs, which evoke the simple recipes of the ancient rural tradition. In addition, dishes prepared with the local vegetables and meat, seasoned with olives, artichokes and olive oil such as the artichoke lamb, the ravioli stuffed with ricotta and the malloreddus, the famous gnocchi made with the local wheat.
Toward the mountains, the products are more tied to the pastoral tradition such as kid, lamb, the many varieties of cheese or the game collected in the nearby mountains.
Closer to the coast there are many fish-based recipes such as grilled, fried fish and shellfish and soups.
Lastly, the local almond, honey, saffron, cheese and ricotta desserts are still prepared in the traditional way.
Among the outstanding wines, the esteemed Campidano di Terralba can be served with any meal.
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