Collinas and the Marmilla Region
The Historical Region of Marmilla
Marmilla is a rolling hill region in south-central Sardinia bounded by volcanic plateaus (Giara di
Gesturi, Giara di Siddi) and river basins, historically renowned for grain farming, viticulture, and
rural traditions.
Overview of Collinas
Collinas (Forru in Sardinian, derived from the Latin Forum or “oven”) is a hilltop village in the
northern Marmilla zone.
Origins & History:
Historically documented as Forru until 1863, the name was officially changed to
Collinas (“hills”) by then-mayor and prominent philosopher-politician Giovanni Battista Tuveri
(1815–1889) to avoid postal confusion with neighboring Villanovaforru. Inhabited since prehistory,
the town belonged to the Giudicato of Arborea and later the Marquisate of Quirra under Spanish
rule before feudal redemption in 1839.
Culinary Heritage: Collinas is celebrated for producing Su Binu Druci de Forru (also known as
Binu de missa e po sennoras), a sweet-tasting Nuragus wine yielding a distinctive sugary
aftertaste.
Key Sites & Cultural Highlights
• Sanctuary of Santa Maria Bangiargia (Angiargia): A rural sanctuary set inside a sacred
oak and cork forest (Il Bosco Sacro), featuring a medieval rural church and an adjacent
ancient water well (Pozzo di Su Angiu) surrounded by Roman thermal bath ruins
(Frigidarium).
• Parish Church of San Michele Arcangelo: Built in 1571 in Catalan-Gothic style, housing
three 16th-century Neapolitan wooden statues and a polyptych of the Virgin of Carmel
attributed to the school of Pietro Cavaro.
• Museum Giovanni Battista Tuveri: Housed in the restored former grain granary (Monte
Granatico), preserving local historical exhibitions and dedicated to the intellectual legacy of
Giovanni Battista Tuveri.
• Sedda Sa Caudeba Giant’s Tombs: Two megalithic collective burial monuments located
along the SP69, featuring distinct dolmenic and coursed-masonry construction phases.
• Concali Nuraghe & Roccia delle Impronte: A complex multi-towered nuraghe perched on
Monte Concali, accompanied by a puzzling weathered rock face bearing deep hoof-like
impressions known locally as Is Pei de Luxia Arrabiosa (the footprints of “Mad Lucy”).
• Christmas Tradition (“Paese dei Presepi”): Collinas is widely recognized across Sardinia
as the “Village of Nativity Scenes,” featuring over ten elaborate rionali crèches and an
expansive living nativity (Presepio Vivente) staged annually in the historic center.