Oristano (province)

Province of Oristano (Italian: Provincia di Oristano; Sardinian: Provìntzia de Aristanis) is the western province in Sardinia.

Cities

 * — capital of the province
 * — a beautiful medieval town
 * — known for its Stagno, and the museum of the Giants of Mont'e Prama
 * — about 50 ancient megalithic edifice are scattered in the surrounding countryside

Other destinations

 * The Punic and Roman archaeological sites of

Understand
Tourism in the province is predominantly summer in nature. Along the coast there are numerous tourist resorts, including Torregrande, Putzu Idu, Torre del Pozzo, S'Archittu, Santa Caterina di Pittinuri, Porto Alabe and Bosa Marina.

Climate
Rainfall is concentrated mainly in the autumn and winter months and takes on a snowy nature especially in the months of December, January and February in the mountain reliefs higher and in some exceptional cases when the temperature reaches 0 °C even at low altitudes due to the cold currents that arrive on the coasts and further inland. Winter temperatures usually range from a minimum of 0 °C to a maximum of 15 °C while summer temperatures range from a minimum of 20 to a maximum of 35 and in some cases even 40 °C.

By plane
From the north-west from the Alghero-Fertilia airport, from the north-east from the Olbia-Costa Smeralda airport and from the south from the Cagliari-Elmas airport.

By ship
It can be reached from the north-east from the ports of Olbia-Isola Bianca, Golfo Aranci and Tortolì-Arbatax, from the south from the port of Cagliari and from the north-west from the port of Porto Torres.

By train
The railway network is represented by the railway, managed by RFI, which connects Cagliari with Porto Torres and with the Golfo Aranci Marittima station.

Get around
A stretch of narrow-gauge railway, operated by the Sardinian Railways, is open to tourist traffic only and is occasionally travelled by the characteristic Trenino Verde, which connects Macomer with Bosa Marina.

See


In the territory of the province there are several archaeological sites. Nuraghe Losa  in the municipality of Abbasanta is one of the largest nuraghes in Sardinia. It dates back to the Middle Bronze Age. The Nuragic sanctuary of Santa Cristina, near Nuraghe Losa in the territory of the municipality of Paulilatino, is known for the presence of a sacred well in an excellent state of conservation. The Giants of Monti Prama are fragments of anthropomorphic sculptures found in the Cabras area in 1974. Tharros is an open-air museum with active excavation sites. Among the interesting structures are the tophet, the bath installations, the temple foundations and an area with houses and artisan workshops. Tharros is the ruins of a city of Phoenician origin, near the locality of San Giovanni di Sinis, in the Sinis peninsula (municipality of Cabras). The Terme di Fordongianus is a Roman thermal complex, dating back to the 1st century AD. Cornus is a Punic-Roman city and early Christian settlement near Cuglieri.

Do
The province of Oristano includes numerous protected areas.
 * The regional natural park of Monte Arci
 * The protected marine area Sinis Peninsula - Mal di Ventre Island protects and preserves the naturalistic-environmental values ​​of a good part of the coast of the province. It covers an area of ​​24,800 hectares and is divided into three zones, according to the level of protection and permitted use.
 * S'Archittu (Cuglieri), a small arch about 15 metres high created by marine erosion of the limestone walls of what was once a cave.

Numerous beaches alternate with rocky cliffs. The best known are those of Torregrande, San Giovanni di Sinis, Maimoni, Is Arutas, Mari Ermi, Putzu Idu, S'Archittu, Santa Caterina di Pittinuri, Is Arenas, Bosa Marina and Torre Argentina. The coastal areas also offer the possibility of visiting the many ponds, where there are birdwatching facilities.

In the inland areas you can go on mountain excursions in Montiferru, or walks in the woods in the locality of San Leonardo de Siete Fuentes, a hamlet of Santu Lussurgiu, near which the springs and the ancient church of San Leonardo are found. Between Bonarcado and Santu Lussurgiu you can see the waterfalls, with a drop of 30 m, of the Rio Sos Molinos, so called because of the mills that once used the force of the water to move the millstones. At Omodeo lake and, in Bosa, at the Temo river it is possible to practise rowing.

Events
Some important cultural events that take place in the towns of the province are linked to the religious life of the communities. Sa Sartiglia, in Oristano, and Sa Carrela 'e Nanti, in Santu Lussurgiu, are held during the carnival period.

Sa Sartiglia is an equestrian tournament of medieval origin which consists in launching the horse at a gallop along the track in an attempt to pierce a metal star, drilled in the centre and suspended on the track by a rope, with the help of a sword or a rod of worked wood defined on stoccu. The event takes place on the last Sunday and on Carnival Tuesday.

Sa Carrela 'e Nanti also takes place during the carnival period. In this case, it is an equestrian race in pairs along a narrow dirt road in the historic centre of Santu Lussurgiu. The route is particularly risky, due to the presence of curves and bottlenecks. Bosa is instead known for the characteristic carnival parade with typical masks of the local tradition.

Another important equestrian event is the Ardia di Sedilo, held in honour of San Costantino Imperatore. The feast is celebrated in the month of July and culminates with the horse race which starts from the hill of Su Frontigheddu and, passing through the arch which delimits the courtyard of the sanctuary, heads towards the church. After a series of laps around the church, the knights launch themselves towards a circular enclosure, sa muredda, making another series of laps around it to finally go up again, always at a gallop, towards the church. Also important is the review of Sardinian new wines which takes place in Milis in November.

Sleep
There are hotel facilities in all tourist locations, and in inland towns it is possible to stay in bed & breakfasts or small hotels.