Oristano and Sinis · Provincia di Oristano

Things to do in Milis

Milis, Sardinia: orange groves, the Romanesque church of San Paolo, Palazzo Boyl and its costume museum, Vernaccia and new wine festival.

Milis, Sardegna — © Tiuliano · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

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Milis is a village of about 1,400 people at the foot of Montiferru, in a spring-fed valley north of Oristano, famous across Sardinia for its orange groves. The French writer Antoine Valéry called it a "garden of the Hesperides", and kings, writers and famous travellers stayed here. It's the place for you if you love Romanesque churches, historic mansions, wine and the scent of citrus, and the Sinis coast is close by.

What to see in Milis

Palazzo Boyl

The summer residence of the Boyl marquises, enlarged in the 19th century in Piedmontese neoclassical style with a Pompeian-red façade. Guests included kings Carlo Felice and Carlo Alberto, General La Marmora, Gabriele d'Annunzio and Honoré de Balzac, who stayed in 1838. Today it houses the Museum of Sardinian Costume and Jewellery and a collection of old farming tools.

The church of San Paolo

A Romanesque church built between 1140 and 1220, surrounded by citrus groves at the entrance to the village. Its façade alternates pale limestone and dark basalt; inside are Catalan-school altarpieces and paintings, a Baroque altar and wooden sculptures.

Other churches

The 16th-century parish church of San Sebastiano has Catalan Gothic lines and a red trachyte rose window. Santa Vittoria keeps a 17th-century wooden altar, and tombs from the 6th–7th centuries were found there. Out in the countryside, reachable only on foot, are the 14th-century San Pietro in Vincoli at Milis Pizzinnu and the 19th-century Madonna del Buon Cammino.

Villa Pernis and the nuraghi

Villa Pernis, from the late 19th century, was a stud farm breeding army horses, surrounded by citrus groves. Along the Riu Mannu stand the Cobulas and Tronza nuraghi.

Things to do in Milis

Stroll through the orange groves and along the paths to the country churches, visit the costume and folk museums, and taste Vernaccia and new wine. Walking and cycling routes lead up to Montiferru, and in about 20 minutes you're on the Sinis beaches. Discover the experiences offered by local operators below and book yours.

History

The area was inhabited in the Nuragic age. The name may come from Latin miles, "soldier", though this is only a theory. In the Middle Ages Milis was the capital of the Campidano di Milis district in the Giudicato of Arborea, and the Camaldolese monks of Bonarcado started its orchards. After 1420 it joined the Marquisate of Oristano, became an Aragonese fief in 1478, passed to the Flores Nurra marquisate of Arcais in the 18th century and was bought back in 1839. During the Second World War a military airfield was hidden among the orange groves; it was bombed in 1943.

What to eat and buy

Milis oranges are the star product, along with Vernaccia di Oristano, honey and cereals. A typical festival dish is chickpeas cooked with wild fennel; grilled fish sold at fairs in cane baskets is another tradition.

Festivals and traditions

Chickpea festival (Sunday after 19 March): for the feast of San Giuseppe.
Holy Week: deeply felt rites, with barefoot penitents, su scravamentu on Good Friday and s'incontru at Easter.
San Giorgio (23 April): bonfire and a procession on horseback.
Madonna del Buon Cammino (first Sunday in August).
Rassegna dei vini novelli (November): Sardinia's new wines with food and music events.

Nearby

Bonarcado: the Romanesque church of Santa Maria and the Bonacattu sanctuary.
Seneghe and Montiferru: woods, trails and the area's extra-virgin olive oil.
Bauladu: nuraghe Crabia.
Sinis beaches: Is Arenas, Putzu Idu and Is Arutas.

Getting there and when to go

Milis is about 20 minutes from Oristano, close to the SS131. The handiest airport is Cagliari-Elmas, about an hour and a quarter away; Alghero is about an hour and a half. The nearest ports are Cagliari, Porto Torres and Olbia. Winter and spring are orange season; November is the month of new wine.