Curcuris and the Marmilla Region
The Historical Region of Marmilla
Marmilla is a rolling hill region in south-central Sardinia bounded by volcanic plateaus and river
basins, historically dedicated to grain farming, viticulture, and rural traditions.
Overview of Curcuris
Curcuris (Crucuris in Sardinian) is a small agricultural village situated at the foot of Mount Arci in
the eastern Marmilla district. Its landscape features rolling hills, cereal fields, and river valleys lined
with riparian vegetation.
Origins & History: The name derives from Curcuri, the local term for the marsh grass (saracchio)
traditionally used to bind grapevines, weave mats, and bottom chairs. Inhabited since ancient
times, the village grew in the Middle Ages through the consolidation of smaller agropastoral
settlements, belonging to the Giudicato of Arborea (Parte Usellus curatoria) and later passing
through various Spanish feudal families (Carroz, Centelles, Borgia, Català, Osorio).
Culinary Heritage:
Curcuris is closely associated with traditional pastoral culture, including the
annual sheep-shearing festival (Festa della Tosatura) hosted at the historic Pinna-Spada Estate.
Key Sites & Cultural Highlights
• Parish Church of San Sebastiano Martire: Built during the 16th or 17th-century Aragonese
period, featuring a yellow trachyte ashlar facade, a single large nave with four lateral chapels,
and a 16th-century Neapolitan wooden Madonna sculpture.
• Country Church of the Beata Vergine Assunta (Santa Maria): Built in Gothic style on a hill
overlooking the village, consecrated on February 12, 1430. It houses a historic bell cast in
1504 and the venerated Dormitio Mariae statue (Assunta).
• Sa Panghiscedda: A historic stone building in the town center that once served as the
village meat market.
• Roman & Punic Antiquities: Local archaeological zones include a Punic sanctuary site that
yielded a terracotta figurine of the god Bes (now in the Civic Museum of Sinnai) and the
remains of a Roman public or temple building at Genna Angius (yielding a 62 AD inscription
commemorating Emperor Nero).