Samugheo is a town located in the center of Sardinia in the province of Oristano, in the historical region of Mandrolisai. The territory, suitable for agricultural uses, is characterized by the presence of plateaus and sweet fertile hills, interspersed with gorges dug by small streams, elements that have favored human settlement since the Neolithic.
The first evidence of the presence of man dates back to the fourth millennium B.C. and are represented by the numerous burials dug into the rock, called in the Sardinian language "domus de janas", that is "fairy houses", because of the small and numerous environments of which they are composed, that gave the inhabitants of Sardinia the idea of being precisely houses of small fantastic beings. The most evocative, also for the landscape and naturalistic aspects, are S'Ispelunca de sa 'Ia, Ispelunca Orre, Tatalla, Linna de Cresia and Barralla. The domus are located mainly in the gorges, in walls with soft rock easily dug, sometimes exploiting small crevices or natural cavities with the function of atrium.
During the Copper Age the territory of Samugheo takes on particular importance as can be seen from the finds of statues menhir (2600-2400 a. C.), coming from five different sites. Particularly notable and important is the discovery of Cucu de Lai from which come over 300 fragments of statues and that of Paule Luturru, with 46 fragments reused in a tomb of giants. They are anthropomorphic statues, iconic and aniconic, made in the local trachyte, ogival or trunk-ogival, with various symbols carved in the middle: daggers, or friezes of elliptical or quadrangular shape, sometimes engraved with herringbone motifs, lattice or cruciform.
Among the nuraghi the best preserved and most accessible is the Nuraghe monotorre Perda Orrubia with well-preserved staircase from which you can access the terrace.
Another site of extreme charm is the Byzantine castle of Medusa, which rises vertically on the gorge formed by the Rio Araxisi and of which is preserved part of the mighty curtain wall, a tower, a cistern and the remains of a series of rectangular rooms that were to serve as service and accommodation spaces. The rocky walls around are popular destinations for climbers.
The rural landscape is characterized by the hundreds of shepherds' shelters, scattered throughout the territory, made of dry stone with dome roofing, called "pinnatzos", such as to attribute a strong identity to the landscape.
The fertile valley of Acoro, so called for the river of the same name that flows there, is renowned for its vineyards and for the presence of three water mills, still intact, active until the seventies of the twentieth century. They consist of a rectangular building, with stone millstones inside, horizontal wheel outside, a series of channels of water supply and outflow and damming systems on the river. The mills of "Is Tirizzas", "Ispadula" and "Giobbe", are a well-preserved example of the archeology of production, tell of an agricultural economy in which cereal farming was very important and the exploitation of the Acoro river as a driving force to drive the milling systems.
The first sources that attest to the existence of the village are from the medieval period. The first mention is in the Condaghe di Santa Maria di Bonarcado (monastic register of the twelfth-thirteenth century d. C.), when a citizen of Samugheo is a witness for an oath at the church of San Pietro di Arsuneli; the name of the village appears with the form "Sumugleo".
The urban center retains part of its historical building fabric with narrow streets in curve and houses made with the local trachyte, with two floors, attic and large courtyard. In the courtyard often overlook the service rooms (rooms for making bread and cheese, shelters for animals such as the inevitable pig), a loggia, the oven, a flowerbed used as garbage, sometimes a well. These houses open along the streets through wooden portals, framed by round arches. An example of a traditional house is given by the manor house Serra, composed of several buildings of different historical periods, with some windows in Aragonese style. It currently houses the Municipal Library.
In the center there is also the parish church of San Sebastiano built from the sixteenth century in the Aragonese Gothic style, with a single nave with 3 chapels on each side, opened by Gothic arches and square presbytery, cruise vault with sails defined by ribs. Two additional chapels are placed on the sides of the presbytery, giving the church a Latin cross plan. The façade of the building is a hut, made with square blocks of trachyte; in the center there is an octagon rose window in which the image of the venerated saint was made with colored glass. On the right side of the facade there is the square bell tower. In the countryside there are the churches of San Basilio and Santa Maria.
The centre is renowned for its textile handicrafts, for which the municipal administration organizes in August the Sardinian Handicraft Exhibition named Tessingiu (weaving in the local variant of the Sardinian language)event showcasing over 60 artisans and designers from the island, presenting the best of production in all sectors of craftsmanship.
The Samughese textile factory, which currently employs dozens of people distributed in various small and medium-sized enterprises, was started by the initiative of some women. In the fifties and sixties of the twentieth century, some young samughesi began to design a form of economic development starting from the activity they used to carry out at home: weaving. They then organized to make known the local production, until then served almost totally for domestic use, outside the town. Thus began the trade of precious handmade fabrics in the rest of Sardinia and in the world and new job opportunities for the community. Because of the changed needs, the women organized themselves in small manufacturing laboratories, they devised new larger looms with the collaboration of local carpenters that would allow faster working times and larger manufactures, began to collaborate with designers in order to adapt traditional depictions to new dimensions and new needs. Since then the production has continued and continues to be known with positive results. It is now a production with multiple supply chains: traditional, design, suitable for everyday use. This women’s initiative has been able to involve and generate jobs and opportunities for men as well.
The Museo Unico Regionale dell'Arte Tessile Sarda (MURATS) was founded in 2002 to recover and preserve the historical textile memory of Sardinia. The permanent collection collects a vast repertoire of artifacts from different parts of the island: tablecloths, blankets, sheets, baby linens, linen for daily use, saddlebags and towels for the campaign, chest covers, clothing for the shepherd and traditional costumes for the holidays.
Samugheo also preserves a very rich intangible heritage: the traditional dance, the Sardinian language, the rosary, the ban, many knowledge such as the art of bread, the art of weaving, wood carving, wrought iron, the art of viticulture, breeding and slaughter, traditional cuisine. The memory, use and packaging of historic women’s and men’s clothing and carnival masks, "s'Urtzu e is Mamutzones", has been preserved. Important carnival events: "A Maimone", a festival of traditional masks from all over Sardinia and beyond, and the Summer Carnival in August.
Another important event is the Bread Festival born to enhance the important culture that revolves around bread.
Interesting are the religious feasts: the winter ones of Sant'Antonio and San Sebastiano that take place around a bonfire; during the spring, in May, the farmers' festival is held, dedicated to Sant'Isidoro, characteristic for the procession with the tractors decorated with festivities; In summer the village life is animated by the feasts of San Costantino and San Basilio, with processions in which the Sardinian rosary is sung, while civil celebrations include poetic competitions in Sardinian language and dances.
The population is distinguished by its entrepreneurial vivacity: in addition to craft and construction businesses, the economy of the center is marked by sheep farming. Many sheep, cattle and goat farms, which characterize the landscape with grazing animals and dry stone walls. Excellent meats, cheeses and Mandrolisai wines are produced.
