Places in Villanovafranca, Sardinia

Villanovafranca is a small centre in the province of Medio Campidano. This is the second last province of Sardinia in both size and population. Its territory is mostly developed towards the plain of Campidano, shared with the province of Cagliari and Oristano.

Here the landscape is flat and the land is intensively cultivated. Remarkable is the site of Su Nuraxi in Barumini, the largest Sardinian nuragic site, north of which extends the Giara di Gesturi. This plateau emerges over the plain of Campidano at about 575 metres over the sea level and hosts a local specie of horse, the Cavallini, characterized by the small size and the almond-shaped eyes.

These horses are easy to encounter as they are left free to breed over the plateau. The coast instead is quite hilly and its development is short. The distance from Capo Pecora in the south to Capo Frasca in the north is approximately 50 km.

Nevertheless, here you can find one of the most amazing places in Sardinia, Piscinas. The 8 km beach of Schivu-Piscinas is only the tip of what lies inland. Huge dunes penetrate the territory in some cases for over 2 km, offering incredible and unexpected views over a desert of 3 square kilometres.

Although it is not a natural reserve, this area is truly virgin. If you are lucky you could see the European red deer or some wild hogs wandering through the dunes. Constructions and other traces of human presence are rare.

From Piscinas you could easily reach Naracauli (5 km) and from there Ingurtosu and Montevecchio. These locations are known for being dismissed mining villages. Inhabited by thousands of people up to the sixties, they are now abandoned.

The places are quite interesting since buildings, mining equipment and much more is still there, like in a filming studio. This is the hearth of the Costa Verde (the Green Coast) stretching from Piscinas to Torre dei Corsari and taking its name from the colour of the sea and of the luxuriant Mediterranean vegetation.

The beach of Torre dei Corsari is beautiful too. The dunes are not as spectacular as in Piscinas but they are anyway out of the ordinary. Unlike Piscinas though, man has made himself quite visible in Torre dei Corsari and Pistis.

Large residential areas have been built very close to the beach. Good news is that you can easily find those accommodations and restaurants that were lacking in Piscinas.