Marmilla and Sarcidano · Provincia del Medio Campidano

Things to do in Lunamatrona

Things to do in Lunamatrona, Sardinia: Su Cuaddu 'e Nixias giants' tomb, Sa Corona Arrubia museum, nuraghi, melon festival and travel tips.

Lunamatrona, Sardegna — © Gianni Careddu · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

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Lunamatrona (Lunamatròna in Sardinian) is a village of about 1,600 people on the Marmilla plain, between the Rio Mannu and the Trexenta hills, with the Gesturi and Siddi plateaus (giare) on the horizon. It's about 55 km from Cagliari and around ten from Sanluri. Its treasure is the giants' tomb of Su Cuaddu 'e Nixias, among the oldest on the island, plus a museum on the Sa Corona Arrubia plateau and a late-summer festival of melon, Malvasia wine and mutton: a great stop for families and archaeology lovers.

What to see in Lunamatrona

Giants' tomb of Su Cuaddu 'e Nixias

The name means “Nixias's horse”: legend says the hole in the stele was used to tie up horses. This Bronze Age collective burial is considered one of the oldest giants' tombs in Sardinia. The entrance opens at the base of a sandstone stele almost 3 metres high, flanked by slabs forming an exedra, the semicircular space for funeral rites; the burial chamber is about 10 metres long.

Sa Corona Arrubia Territory Museum

On the basalt plateau between Lunamatrona and Collinas – called the “red crown” for the lichens that colour its rocks – the museum tells the story of the Marmilla through botany, wildlife, geology and human history. One room displays around two hundred traditional toys: a big hit with children.

Nuraghi

The area includes the Trobas proto-nuraghe, an early corridor-type tower, and Nuraghe Pitzu Cummu on the edge of the village.

Parish church of San Giovanni Battista

Built in the late 16th to early 17th century on the site of an 11th-century Benedictine church, it has a single barrel-vaulted nave with four chapels on each side. The first on the right holds the altarpiece of Santa Maria, brought from the small church of the same name, with scenes from the lives of Christ, the Virgin and the saints. The village also has the little churches of Santa Maria and San Sebastiano.

Things to do in Lunamatrona

Combine the giants' tomb with the Sa Corona Arrubia museum and a walk on the plateau, then head for the giare, basalt tablelands home to wild ponies. The flat plain is also easy for bike rides among fields, olive groves and melons. Below you'll find the experiences offered by local operators: choose yours and book.

History

Inhabited in the Nuragic age, as tombs and nuraghi show, and later in Roman times, in the Middle Ages the village belonged to the Judicate of Arborea, in the district of Marmilla. After 1410 it joined the marquisate of Oristano and, after the battle of Macomer in 1478, passed to Aragon; it was then a fief of the Centelles and, from 1798, of the Osorio, until feudalism ended in 1839. There are several theories about the name: one links it to Juno Matrona, the goddess Juno, who may have had a temple here.

Food and local products

Lunamatrona is known for its dry-farmed melons, grown without irrigation, sweet and fragrant; for Malvasia wine; and for pecora in cappotto (“mutton in a coat”), slow-boiled mutton with potatoes, onions and vegetables. Olive oil and pulses from the Marmilla also make good souvenirs.

Festivals and traditions

Late June: feast of the patron saint San Giovanni Battista.
Early September (traditionally the first Sunday): festival of dry-farmed melons, Malvasia and pecora in cappotto.

Nearby

Collinas, with Santa Maria Angiargia and its sweet wine.
Villanovaforru and Nuraghe Genna Maria.
Siddi and its giara.
Barumini and UNESCO-listed Su Nuraxi, about 20 minutes away.
Sardara, with its thermal baths and the sanctuary of Sant'Anastasia.

Getting there and when to go

The nearest airport and port are in Cagliari, about 50 minutes' drive: take the SS131 to Sanluri, then the road into the Marmilla. Spring is ideal for walks on the plateau; early September for the festival and melons in season.