Villamar

Overview and Geography

Villamar (Bidda Mara in Sardinian) is an agricultural municipality with 2,457 inhabitants located at an elevation of 108 meters in the Marmilla region of South Sardinia. Positioned southeast of the Marmilla hills, the main village developed between the Mannu River (which was rerouted in the late 1950s) and the Rio Cani stream. Its territory displays an undulating terrain rising to a maximum elevation of 297 meters.

Etymologically, the name (attested in 1346 as Pro Capellania Mare) combines Villa with the Sardinian Mara (meaning “marsh” or “swamp”, derived from local wetlands). Historically, it was known as Mara Arbarei (“Mara of the Giudicato of Arborea”) and Mara Barbaraghesa (a Roman-era designation marking the ascent toward the inland Barbagia regions).

Economy and Local Culture

• Agropastoral Economy: Agriculture and livestock are the economic drivers, with major production of cereals, wheat, vegetables, fodder, grapes, olives, citrus, and livestock (cattle, swine, sheep, horses). Industrial activities include food processing, brickmaking, photo-optical manufacturing, jewelry, IT consulting, and construction.

• Riverbank Nature Park: Along the Mannu River, the municipality maintains a botanical garden and nature park.

• Muralism: Villamar features extensive public street art developed since the mid-1970s by local artists Antioco Cotza and Antonio Sanna alongside Chilean political exile Alan Joffrè. Cotza’s vibrant works address social protest and global history, while Sanna’s murals depict traditional Sardinian landscapes and customs.

• Festivals and Events: Active folklore is represented by the Gruppo Folk Traccas e Sonus di Villamar. Major events include:

  • Patronal Feast of San Giovanni Battista (June 24).

  • Festa della Madonna d’Itria (Third Sunday of August): Features a procession transporting the Virgin’s statue in an ornate Pistoia-crafted wooden carriage (cocchio).

  • Festa di Santa Maria (September 8–9): Held at the rural chapel of Santa Maria ‘e Croxiu.

  • Festa di Santa Vitalia (First Monday of October): Celebrated with ox-drawn carts (traccas), horseback riders, public dances, poet duels, and traditional games.

History

Settled since the Nuragic era, Villamar developed into a organized township during the 14th century, becoming the seat of the Curatoria of Marmilla in the Giudicato of Arborea. It belonged to Gerardo de Doni in 1369 and passed to the D’Aragal and Alagón families in 1460. In 1643, it was granted to the Aimerich family, who held feudal control until abolition in 1839. Formerly in the Province of Cagliari and later Medio Campidano, it joined the South Sardinia province in 2016.

Main Landmarks and Architecture

Central Town

• Parish Church of San Giovanni Battista (Crèsia de Santu Giuanni Batista): Built in the late 13th century in Pisan Romanesque style and expanded in late Gothic-Catalan style around 1500. It features a 28-meter square bell tower and houses the Retablo della Madonna del Latte (or Retablo di Villamar). Signed by Stampace School master Pietro Cavaro in 1518, the retablo surrounds a Madonna and Child wooden statue carved by Giovanni da Nola.

• Church of Madonna di Antoccia (Antiochia): Located on a hill, this 16th/17th-century church was originally built as a private chapel for the Aimerich family. It houses 18th-century polychrome wooden statues, cannuga-technique processional statues (Addolorata and Madonna del Rosario), and a glass-encased Dormitio Virginis sculpture.

• Church of San Giuseppe: A 17th-century church with a smooth façade and a two-light bell gable. It contains a limestone high altar bearing the Aimerich coat of arms.

• Church of San Pietro Apostolo: An asymmetrical 13th-century Pisan Romanesque church built with sandstone and vulcanite blocks. It features a double nave with two semicircular apses, an expansive double-bell gable, and Moorish-influenced architectural details.

• Prazza de Corti & Civic Infrastructure: The central square in the Maiorchino district, bordered by the Town Hall, the parish church, and a WWI memorial plaque. Via Cadello features a pedestrian walkway covering the Rio Cani canal and hosting weekly markets.

• Municipal Sports Facilities: Includes a dirt football stadium (440 seats), an athletics track, calcetto courts, and an indoor multi-purpose gym.

Archaeological Sites and Surrounding Area

• Punic Necropolis of Villamar: Discovered in 1984 during public works between Via Roma and Via Vittorio Emanuele. The inland Punic site contains over 80 chamber and pit tombs with grave goods, coins, and wall paintings.

• Sanctuary of Nostra Signora d’Itria: A 16th/17th-century late Gothic triple-nave sanctuary located in a park northwest of town along the SP46.

• Rural Church of Nostra Signora di Monserrat (Santa Maria ‘e Croxiu): A post-medieval rural church with a open loggia built near the ruins of the Santu Croxiu nuraghe.

• Nuragic Remains: Includes the ruins of the quadrilobed Santu Croxiu (Sant’Iroxi) nuraghe, the Faurras corridor protonuraghe, and the Moru Pintau nuraghe.

• Historical Transit Infrastructure: Ruins of the former Villamar Railway Station, which once served as a junction for narrow-gauge lines linking Isili, Villacidro, and Ales.