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Oristano & the West

Includes  Why Go? ...... 92 This part of central boasts much of what makes the ...... 97 island such a beautiful and intriguing place: sublime beach- Sinis Penninsula...... 98 es, verdant hills, ancient ruins and mysterious nuraghic San Salvatore...... 100 temples. In the heart of it all is Oristano, one of Sardinia’s great ...... 101 medieval cities. It’s a lively place with a gracious historic Montiferru...... 102 centre and laid-back atmosphere. A short hop away, the Sin- Oristano Province...... 105 is Peninsula harbours gorgeous beaches and ancient Roman ...... 106 ruins, while, to the north, Bosa charms with its riverside centro storico (historic centre). For an altogether different experience, venture inland for a taste of rural Sardinia. The villages and soaring slopes of Best Places to Monti Ferru are ripe for foodie touring with their prized lo- Eat cal specialities, most notably bue rosso beef and extra-virgin olive oil. ¨¨Essenza del Gusto (p109) Festival-goers will also enjoy the area. Oristano hosts col- ¨¨Desogos (p103) ourful carnival celebrations, and the village of stages ¨¨Agriturismo Montiferru one of Sardinia’s most exhilarating events, the extraordinary (p103) S’Ardia horse race. ¨¨Locanda di Corte (p109) ¨¨Agriturismo Sinis (p100) When to Go ¨¨January is prime time for spotting pink flamingos on the Sinis Peninsula. Best Places to ¨¨In February, you can thrill to the acrobatic horsemanship Sleep of Oristano’s Sa Sartiglia, the most colourful carnival on the ¨¨Antica Dimora Del island. Gruccione (p214) ¨¨Head to western Sardinia’s beaches in June, to bask in the ¨¨Hotel Lucrezia (p214) warm sun without the peak summer crowds. ¨¨Eremo del Cavaliere (p214) ¨¨La Torre di Alice (p215) ¨¨Hotel Regina d’Arborea (p214)

------Y AL UM UM 9am- ALLER 10am- Oris G E MUS E MUS h HEDR AT h C

Sa Sartiglia Sa

topped by its 9am-7pm summer, summer, 9am-7pm Via Sant’Antonio 9; Sant’Antonio Via h

For a visceral taste of visceral a For www.antiquariumarborense.it; Oristano’s municipal art municipal Oristano’s adult/reduced €4/2; adult/reduced (painted altarpieces), in

, (bell tower) adult/reduced €5/2.50; adult/reduced F

Lording it over Oristano’s sky Lording Oristano’s over it

Piazza del Duomo; Piazza orrias;

, pop into this free museum adjacentmuseum free this into pop , by the workshop of Pietroof workshop the by Cavaro, campanile Feb) 0783 79 12 62; 79 0783 Bargain hunters should drop by on the should drop by on Bargain hunters 9am-2pm & 3.30-7pm Mon-Thu, 9am-2pm Fri, Fri, 9am-2pm Mon-Thu, 3.30-7pm & 9am-2pm % h gallery has a small but interesting perma 9am-1pm Sat) 9am-1pm to the city’s Pinacoteca. LookPinacoteca. variousfor out city’s the to the sinisterdepictions of the Mamuthones, in manycostumedfeature characters that festivities, theperuse and carnival Sardinian collection which in memorabilia, of festival lection of retabli cluding the 16th-century Retablo del Santo Cristo, which depicts of apparently beatifica group cludes masks, costumesmasks, cludes interestingan and selection as far of historic photos dating back as 1864. Carlo Contini Pinacoteca 9; Sant’Antonio (Via nent collection of Sardinian paintings, to exhibitsgetherwith rotating artists. by local Antiquarium Arborense Museo ( C Piazza principal museum boasts one of the tano’s major archaeological collections, island’s with prehistoric artefacts from the Sinis Carthaginian from and finds and Peninsula also a small col Roman Tharros. There’s ing conspicuous majolica-tiled dome, adds an is otherwiseexotic feel to what Byzantine a 18th-centurytypical baroque complex. di Documentazione Centro sulla Sartiglia (www.biblioteca.oristano.it; h ( Cattedrale di Santa di Santa Cattedrale Maria Assunta (Duomo; onion-domed bell tower line, the Duomo’s is one of the few elements of remaining the original 14th-century itself a cathedral, byreworking church damaged of an earlier The free-stand 12th in the late fire century. Oristano’s headline festival, festival, headline Oristano’s 8pm Mon-Fri, 9am-2pm & 3-8pm Sat & Sun) & 3-8pm Sat 9am-2pm 8pm Mon-Fri, 1pm & 4.30-7.30pm) to 6pm winter) to flanked by grand buildings, including theincluding buildings, grand by flanked stands centre the In Municipio. neoclassical 19th-century ornate an Eleonoraof statue into a to launch as if about finger a raising speech. political when the piazza of the month Saturday first hosts market. an antique ------PIAZZA . The

(historic centre), a pretty area of (historic centre), a pretty

Sights

d’Arborea Eleonora Piazza

The construction of the –Porto The eventually was in abandoned city 0783 / POP31,600 ORISTANO city’s central square since the 1800s, central it’s city’s berto rectangular I. An impressive, space, it comes to life on summer evenings when and children blasttownsfolk congregate footballs against the glowing palazzi o the outdoor salon sits at elegant Oristano’s southern end of pedestrianised Corso Um

stone houses, sunny piazzas and baroqueand piazzas stonesunny houses, streets. 1 the centro sights are in main Oristano’s storico Torres highway in the 1820s, and Mussolini’s in the 1820s, highway and Mussolini’s Torres Oristano a gave programs, land-reclamation much-needed boost. es, and the base of operations for Eleonorafor operations of base the and es, thein heroine A 1340–1404). (c Arborea of organised the of Arc mould, Eleonora Joan 14th-century against war the Spanish and wrote the Carta de LoguLaws) (Code of before succumbing to the plague. With her crumbled anti-Spanish opposition death, into the restand Oristano was incorporated awasn’t It Sardinia. Aragonese-controlled of and collapsed Trade time for the city. good from plague and famine. suffered the city came capital of the Giudicato d’Arborea, d’Arborea, Giudicato the of capital came provinc four independent one of Sardinia’s 1070 when its citizens, fed up with contin 1070 when its citizens, to a more decamped raids, uous Saracen easily defensible inland site, Aristianis Oristano). This(present-day be new city mans and became the de factomans and became the capital of Sardinia. western History The fertile flat, countryside around Oristano importantwas an centre, but itnuraghic put the area first was the Phoenicians who half of the the latter on the map. Arriving in 8thcentury BC, they of established the city under the Ro Tharros, thrived which later logical museum, the city makes a good base a good makes the city logical museum, area. for the surrounding taurants, Oristano’s refined and animated refined Oristano’s taurants, Thoughout. hang to place lovely a is centre to see beyond amount not a huge there’s and an interestingsome churches archaeo With its elegant shopping streets,its elegant With ornate res good and some popular cafes piazzas, %

o & the West OriSighPlastacetssn too Eat

Oristan 92