The
town of Santu Lussurgiu is situated midway up the western
slope of Montiferru.
With the mountains towering above it
in a semicircle to the North-West, it lies in a volcanic
basin or mouth, and with its houses spread out like an amphitheater
opening to the South-East appears to the eyes of the visitor
only upon his arrival.
At twilight instead the position of
the town can be determined from afar, indicated by the reddish
glow of the lamps rising to the sky over the mountain top,
as if the ancient volcano were reawakening now.
Santu Lussurgiu
lies 550 meters above sea level, in the Province of Oristano.
It has a population of a little less than 3000 and an economy
based mainly on stock-breeding and craftsmanship. Nearly
10,000 hectares of fascinating, virtually uncontaminated
environments, of primitive arboreal essences, of archeological
sanctuaries and stupendous panoramas sweeping the horizon
where the basalt has created primordial morphologies, have
modeled the houses, streets and little squares occupying
the historic center of the town.
Here life flows calmly (or
so it seems!) and body and soul can be restored in long hikes
over the mountains amid which the town spreads out to greet
the early morning sun. Trails lead among age-old woods and
the hundreds of springs of purest water (often termed "miraculous" for
their exceptional curative properties) which behind the town
form a network of lively streams, broken by steep waterfalls
and populated by trout and eels, with the scent of the sea
rising over the hills to mingle with the perfume of myrtle,
lentisk, lavender and time.
These are the green lungs of
Oristano Province where animal species threatened with extinction
(deer, mufflon, griffins) find an ideal habitat in which
to live and reproduce.
Here the best Anglo-Arabian-Sardinian
horses are raised, going on to win horse shows and perpetuate
the tradition that has always linked the name of Santu Lussurgiu
to the horse.
Age-old traditions mark the months of the year,
in a clock of customs that strikes the hour, from January
through December, of events featuring folklore, horses, music,
economics, wine and food, culture and religion.
An ideal
place for study (three high schools, libraries, the Popular
Culture Center, the Museum of Peasant Technology), for meditation
and vacation, for all those who seek a real relationship
with nature, genuine foods, and hospitality, still considered
sacred here.
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Santu Lussurgiu
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