Arborea: Town History, Archaeology and Coast

Arborea offers a range of starting points for planning a trip: town history, archaeological remains, wetlands and coastline. When looking for a hotel in Arborea, you can consider which of these aspects of the town particularly interests you. The historic houses, MUBA, the Orri area and the coastal landscape offer specific themes to explore.

Town History and Architecture

Piazza Maria Ausiliatrice in Arborea has gardens. Another point of reference for the town’s history is MUBA, the Museo comunale della Bonifica di Arborea. It is housed in the former mill and is an example of industrial archaeology. The museum collects, displays and makes accessible materials and documents about the history of land reclamation in the area.

The historical section tells the story of land reclamation, the founding of Arborea, its creators and its architecture. It uses large explanatory panels and multimedia resources. MUBA offers audio guides in four languages for visitors exploring the architecture. Arborea’s historic houses are also architecturally distinctive: they were designed in the Liberty and Neo-Gothic styles. These themes offer different perspectives on the town’s development and built character.

Archaeological Remains

The archaeological area of Orri lies within the municipality of Arborea, on the banks of a small body of water enclosed by a tombolo. From there, you can look out over the waters of the southern Gulf of Oristano. The area contains the Pozzo Sacro di Orri, a Nuragic sacred well temple.

Archaeology is also part of the visitor experience at MUBA: grave goods from the S’Ungroni necropolis are displayed in the new exhibition route. The two examples differ in form: Orri has a Nuragic sacred well temple, while the museum exhibition features grave goods. This lets you explore archaeological themes through both a named structure and museum exhibits.

Wetlands and Coast

Stagno di S’Ena Arrubia lies within the municipality of Arborea and is designated as a nature reserve and a Special Protection Area. At the nature site, Agenzia Forestas welcomes visitors and organizes visits, including a guided tour of the exhibition route. If you are planning a visit, confirm the arrangements again before your trip.

Another wetland is Stagno di Corru s’Ittiri. It covers 5,699 hectares across the municipalities of Arborea, Terralba, Arbus and Guspini. Its area therefore extends beyond Arborea. Comparing the two lagoon areas reveals their different geographical reach: S’Ena Arrubia lies within one municipality, while Corru s’Ittiri spans several.

On the coast, Spiaggia di Arborea has a very long stretch of bright sand. A monumental pine forest extends immediately behind the sand. Here, beach and forest sit side by side and together shape the coastal landscape described. If you are choosing Arborea for its landscapes, you can distinguish between its wetlands, views over the gulf and bright sandy beach.

Cycling and Local Festival Traditions

The Arborea cycle path crosses the entire municipal area. Its extent therefore differs from that of a single museum visit or archaeological structure: the route runs through the municipality rather than being confined to one named place. If you would like to explore Arborea by bike, this route is a specific reference point for your planning.

Local festival food is also part of the town’s traditions. At the 37th Sagra della Polenta in Arborea, various polenta dishes were served in 2019. These included polenta with tocio, radicchio di Treviso and pancetta, as well as a version with Luganega. These examples give a sense of the food on offer at that particular edition of the festival; if you are planning a trip around a festival, check the dates in advance.

Discover more destinations: Sedilo, Modolo, San Nicolò d'Arcidano, Porto Alabe, Sini, Riola Sardo, Torre Del Pozzo, Bosa Marina.

For the broader travel overview: Oristano.