A unique and special territory
Is Arutas beach is undoubtedly Oristano's best known, and is a fantastic beach. Is Arutasis famous for the composition of its sand, which is made of small rounded grains of quartz in colours ranging from pink and white to green.
The coastal strip starts to the south of the promontory called Capo San Marco. In this strip, the rocks and soft sand of San Giovanni di Sinis alternate with the quartz sand of Mari Ermi, Maimoni and Is Arutas, right up to the cliff of SuTingiosu.
The northern limit of the territory is Cape Mannu, prior to which are found Salt Pans and the beach of PutzuIdu. The quartz granules found on this coast were created by the slow disintegration of the original rocks: a story that began about 600 million years ago in Mal di Ventre, an uninhabited island that represents an enchanting oasis.
The Sinis peninsula lies to the centre-west of Sardinia, and is much loved by kite surfing and wind surfing enthusiasts, due to the fact that it receives the mistral wind, facilitating these year-round practice of these sports. The territory also offers multiple opportunities to relax in contact with nature, whether by bike or on foot.
To discover Sinis' prehistory and history you can visit Tharros, which was first Nuragic village, then Phoenician colony, then Carthaginian port, before becoming a city under the Romans, capital in the Byzantine era and then the first capital of the Giudicato of Arborea.
In the museum of Cabras you can some truly extraordinary archaeological discoveries in the shape of the Giant statues of Mont'ePrama - incredible nuragic sculptures. The San Salvatore hypogeum also very much deserves a visit, and is the arrival point of a very particular procession (in early September) - the atmospheric Corsa degliScalzi festival, a celebration which dates back to the seventeenth century.
In our region
San Salvatore's Hypogeum
The hypogeum is located under the church dedicated to San Salvatore. It consists of a complex of rooms carved into the rock. The walls feature many paintings depicting classical deities and heroes, but also symbols of the Christian era, Latin inscriptions, a Greek alphabet and an Arabic inscription. San Salvatore di Sinis is a small village that has been used as a film set for numerous ‘spaghetti westerns’.
Tharros
Tharros one of the most evocative archaeological heritage sites in the Mediterranean. It provides the opportunity to discover over two millennia of history, since Tharros has been a nuragic settlement, Phoenician emporium, Carthaginian fortress, Roman city, Byzantine capital and capital of the GIudicato of Arborea.
Nuraghe Losa
This nuraghe, with its unmistakeable shape, is one of the best preserved nuragic monuments. This ancient megalithic building is one of the most important and representative examples of Nuragic architecture, in turn an emblematic symbol of Nuragic civilization. It is surrounded by the greenery of the Mediterranean scrub and undoubtedly worth a visit.
Mal di Ventre Island
Mal de Ventre Island (Isula de Malu 'Entu in Sardinian, meaning "island of the bad wind") is just over 9 km from the coast. It is uninhabited and a special protection area, with enchanting landscapes. It is a flat granite expanse, 2 and a half km long and less than 1 km wide. It is covered by arid steppe with scarce Mediterranean scrub, and populated by rabbits and tortoises.
