Villanovaforru

Overview and Geography

Villanovaforru (Biddanoa Forru in Sardinian) is an agricultural and archaeological municipality of 611 inhabitants situated at an altitude of 310 meters in the Marmilla subregion of South Sardinia, approximately 6 kilometers from the SS131 Carlo Felice highway. Its irregular, hilly terrain reaches a peak elevation of 408 meters.

Etymologically, the name appears in the 1342 Rationes Decimarum as rectore Ville Nove de Fernu and in 1388 as Villanovaforru, combining Villanova (“New Village”) with the Campidanese Sardinian Forru (“Oven”). Historically a small, isolated farming community, the mid-20th-century discovery of the Genna Maria nuraghe and the establishment of its civic archaeological museum transformed Villanovaforru into an international destination for cultural tourism.

Economy and Local Culture

• Agropastoral & Cultural Tourism: Traditional agriculture revolves around cereals, wheat, vegetables, fodder, vineyards, olive groves, citrus, and livestock (cattle, swine, sheep, goats, horses). Secondary activities include dairy processing and construction. Cultural tourism is coordinated through the Sa Corona Arrubia tourism consortium.

• Artisanal Crafts & Gastronomy: Artisans produce hand-embroidered shawls and tablecloths, ceramics, and carved woodwork. Local traditional sweets include Pistokkus de Kappa, Amarettus, and Pastissus.

• Language Milestone: On July 17, 1977, Villanovaforru’s parish church hosted the first Catholic Mass celebrated in the Sardinian language in modern history.

• Festivals and Traditions: Active folklore is represented by Gruppo Folk Su Enau. Annual festivals include:

  • Festa di San Sebastiano (Sunday closest to January 20): Features the lighting of a traditional bonfire (Su Fogadoni) organized by Gruppo Folk Su Enau alongside public feasts of roasted meat and wine.

  • Festa di Santa Marina (Easter Monday/Tuesday & July 16–17): Honors St. Marina of Ourense with ox-drawn carriage processions, native basil blessings, and cultural events.

  • Patronal Feast of San Francesco d’Assisi (October 4): Features a triduum, religious processions, distribution of blessed bread, and musical performances in Piazza Costituzione.

History

Settled since Nuragic times, the area preserves traces of Punic-Sardinian settlement (between Musius and Funtana Manna) and Roman grape-cultivation burial sites (Is Melas, Santa Caterina, Stuppoi). Local tradition holds that the modern village was founded during the Byzantine era (circa 534 AD) by emigrants from nearby Forru (modern-day Collinas).

In the Middle Ages, it formed part of the Giudicato of Arborea (Curatoria of Marmilla). Following Aragonese victory, it was annexed to the County (later Marquisate) of Quirra under the Carroz, Centelles, and Osorio de la Cueva families until feudalism was abolished in 1839. Villanovaforru became an independent municipality in 1848, was briefly merged into Collinas from 1927 to 1946, and joined the South Sardinia province in 2016.

Architecture and Main Sights

Town Center

• Piazza Costituzione: The central public square, home to the WWI War Memorial.

• Genna Maria Civic Archaeological Museum: Housed in a renovated 19th-century Monte Granatico (grain bank established around 1624), opened in 1982. Spanning two floors, it displays artifacts from across Marmilla divided into Prenuragic, Nuragic (featuring a full central-courtyard house inventory), Punic-Roman (dedications to Demeter and Kore), and Medieval rooms. An adjacent temporary exhibition building contains a screening room and bookshop.

• Parish Church of San Francesco d’Assisi: Built in the 17th century in Gothic-Aragonese style and renovated with Baroque accents. Features a sandstone block façade, a 1912 square clock tower with an octagonal dome, a 1787 marble high altar, a 1723 sanctuary bell, glass-covered floor panels revealing 11 historic underfloor tombs, and ceramic Via Crucis panels by sculptor Claudio Pulli.

• Funtana Manna: A monumental dual-fountain complex built in the mid-20th century over the historic Riu Sera stream, replacing an open-air stone washing basin (Laccus).

• Casa del Cavalier Spanu: A restored 18th-century Campidanese noble manor house used for art exhibitions and public events.

• Su Buidinu: A narrow 70-meter-long historic alleyway connecting historic neighborhood districts.

• Civic Facilities: Includes the Archaeological Restoration Laboratory (Via Lodovico Pusceddu 1), a municipal gym, and the Via delle Grotte sports complex.

Archaeological Sites and Surrounding Area

• Genna Maria Nuragic Complex: Located 394 meters above sea level on a hill offering panoramic views of both the Gulf of Cagliari and Gulf of Oristano (“Door of the Seas”). The site comprises a trilobed marl-stone nuraghe (central keep surrounded by three added towers), an outer wall (antemurale) with six towers, and an extensive village of central-courtyard huts containing metalworking forges. Inhabited until an 8th-century BC fire, it was later reused as a Punic-Roman sanctuary dedicated to Kore/Ceres and a Byzantine shrine.

• Pintaderas of Villanovaforru: Five terracotta stamps (pintaderas) were excavated at Genna Maria. Highlights include:

  • Solar Quadripartite Pintadera: An 8-part geometric disk associated with ancient solar/seasonal calendars.

  • 22 and 37-Hole Pintadera: A 7-cm terracotta disk containing concentric rings of 22 and 37 outer holes (totaling 59, matching two lunar months), analyzed as an ancient Nuragic lunar calendar.

• Pinn ‘e Maiolu Nuragic Village: The remnants of a prehistoric settlement uncovered in the 1980s during house foundation excavations near the village edge, displaying residential structures and a sacred well.

• Santa Marina Park & Rural Church: Located southwest of town on a hill. Houses a rural chapel documented to 1280 (rebuilt in 1583 with a 3-arched outer loggia), surrounded by pilgrim shelters (cumbessias), a 500-seat open-air amphitheater (Teatro Comunale), and picnic grounds.

• Municipal Riding School (Maneggio Comunale): Set at 420 meters elevation, offering equestrian instruction, horse-trekking, and equine therapy (ippoterapia) programs.