Marmilla and Sarcidano · Città metropolitana di Cagliari

Things to do in Armungia

Armungia, Sardinia: a nuraghe in the main square, the ethnographic museum, Emilio Lussu's birthplace and the Flumendosa valley.

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Armungia is a small village of about 400 people in the Gerrei, on a hill at just over 360 metres, roughly 65 km from Cagliari. It has a rare feature: a nuraghe right in the main square, next to the houses. It's the birthplace of Emilio Lussu, writer and father of Sardinian autonomism, and today it's a small «open-air museum» of stone lanes, wood-fired ovens and courtyards. Ideal for travellers after culture, 20th-century history and the calm of an inland village.

What to see in Armungia

Nuraghe Armungia

The nuraghe that gives the village its name dates to the Middle Bronze Age (15th–14th century BC). It's a well-preserved single tower with an inner chamber over 8 metres high under a corbelled false dome, the tholos. One of the island's rare «urban» nuraghi, it's softly lit in the evening.

The museum network

The nuraghe is part of a circuit that includes the ethnographic museum Sa Domu de is Ainas («the house of tools»), with about 600 objects from peasant life; the Blacksmith's Workshop, an early-1800s stone building with the tools of the ferreri; and Emilio Lussu's birthplace, dedicated to him and to his wife Joyce Lussu, writer and partisan.

Village and churches

Schist houses, wood-fired ovens and courtyards with storerooms and stables reveal the village's farming roots. See the church of the Beata Vergine Immacolata and, just outside the village, Nostra Signora di Bonaria.

Things to do in Armungia

From the Cilixiucci area you get a view over the Flumendosa valley, Sardinia's second-longest river. The area has caves such as Su Pittiolu and Gospuru, and old mines to explore on an industrial-heritage route. Nearby stretches the Sette Fratelli park, much loved by hikers. Trekking, bike rides and guided museum visits are the best way to experience the village: check out the local operators' experiences below.

History

The area has been inhabited since the Neolithic and is rich in nuraghi. In the Middle Ages Armungia belonged to the Gerrei district of the Judicate of Cagliari; in 1258 it passed to Pisa and from 1324 to Aragon. In 1681 it became part of the county of Villasalto, then the marquisate of Villaclara, until it was redeemed in 1839. Emilio Lussu was born here on 4 December 1890: a soldier of the Sassari Brigade, author of Sardinian Brigade (Un anno sull'Altipiano), founder of the Sardinian Action Party and a leading anti-fascist.

Food and shopping

Food is Gerrei farmhouse cooking: bread baked in wood-fired ovens, cheeses, mutton and goat, and traditional sweets. The museums give a good picture of old crafts such as blacksmithing.

Festivals and traditions

Armungia's festivals follow the religious calendar of the Gerrei villages, with processions and get-togethers in the nuraghe square. Ask in the village or at the town hall for this year's dates.

Nearby

Ballao: the Flumendosa and the Funtana Coberta sacred well.
Villasalto: the Su Suergiu antimony mine.
Silius: the ruins of Sassai castle.
Goni: the Pranu Muttedu menhir park.

Getting there and when to go

The nearest airport and port are in Cagliari, about an hour and a quarter by car: head up into the Gerrei on the SS387 and turn off for Armungia after Ballao. Spring and autumn are perfect for walking; in summer, visit the museums and enjoy cool evenings in the square.