Terralba

Terralba is a farming town in the province of Oristano, in the northern Campidano, between the reclaimed plain of Arborea, the Marceddì lagoon and Monte Arci. Its name, white land, recalls the pale sandy soils on which it stands. It is a town of ancient religious traditions, a bishop's seat for centuries, and today a lively farming centre, famous for vegetables, Terralba wine and artichokes. With its district of Marceddì, a fishing village on the lagoon, Terralba also offers a little-known corner of sea and nature.

History

The Terralba area was inhabited in the Nuragic age, and along the coast rose the Phoenician and Punic city of Neapolis, later Roman, at the mouth of the Rio Mogoro. In the Middle Ages Terralba belonged to the Giudicato of Arborea and was the seat of a diocese, recorded from the 11th century, which in the 16th century was united with Ales: the diocese is still called Ales-Terralba. With the end of the Giudicato the town passed to the Aragonese and Spanish. In the 20th century the nearby reclamation of the Sassu pond, with the founding of Arborea, transformed the plain into one of Sardinia's most productive farming areas.

The town

The main monument is the cathedral of San Pietro, the former bishop's seat, built in the Middle Ages and altered over the centuries, with a bell tower and a three-nave interior. Around it lies the old centre, with Campidano houses of mud brick, courtyards and gateways. The town also has other historic churches and squares where social life takes place. The countryside is dotted with vineyards, vegetable gardens and greenhouses.

Marceddì and the lagoon

Marceddì is a small fishing village on the lagoon of the same name, on the border between the provinces of Oristano and South Sardinia. Fishing boats, colourful little houses and the Spanish tower create a quiet, authentic atmosphere. The lagoon, together with the San Giovanni pond, is a wetland of great value, home to flamingos, herons, black-winged stilts and many other bird species. Grey mullet, eels, sea bream and clams are fished here, and the village restaurants serve lagoon fish dishes. Not far away begin the beaches of the Costa Verde and the Gulf of Oristano.

Festivals

The main festival is that of San Pietro, the patron, in late June, with procession and popular celebrations. Marceddì holds a feast in honour of the Madonna with a procession of boats on the lagoon. In January the Sant'Antonio bonfires are lit. Terralba also hosts fairs devoted to farm produce, from vegetables to wine.

Food and wine

Terralba cooking combines produce from land and lagoon: artichokes, vegetables, pulses, bread and homemade pasta, and lagoon fish such as grey mullet, eel and clams. Mullet bottarga is a local speciality. Terralba DOC wine, made mainly from the Bovale grape, is a robust red, good with meat and cheese.

Getting there

Terralba is about 25 minutes from Oristano and an hour from Cagliari, near the Carlo Felice highway. It is a handy base to visit Arborea, with its rationalist architecture and beach, Marrubiu and Monte Arci, Guspini with Montevecchio, Santa Giusta and the Gulf of Oristano.

What to see

• Cathedral of San Pietro
• Borgo di Marceddì
• Beach of Marina di Terralba

Festivals and traditions

• Carnevale di TerralbaCarnival

Nearby hikes

• Giara di Gesturi29 km

Nearby towns

• Marrubiu · 3 km
• San Nicolò d'Arcidano · 4 km
• Uras · 6 km
• Arborea · 8 km
• Morgongiori · 12 km
• Siris · 12 km
• Masullas · 12 km
• Mogoro · 13 km

Sources: Grande Enciclopedia della Sardegna; ISTAT. Original texts by Gotosardinia.