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Villasimius

Description

Municipality in the province of Cagliari, located on the southeast coast of Sardinia. It is a seaside resort in the hinterland of Capo Carbonara, which is characterized by 27 miles of beaches, white sand, a marina with modern bathing establishments and facilities. The territory is covered with mountains and the town is within easy reach of the woods of Minni Minni. Interesting is the excursion to Torre Santa Caterina, located on the promontory of Capo Carbonara, from where tourists can admire a fabulous view over the Gulf of Cagliari, as well as Cala di Sinzias, from the beach of Sa Ruxi to Cape Molentis. The local economy, originally dedicated to agriculture, pastoralism, and for a certain period famous for the mining of granite, today the major income comes from tourism.
Traces of settlements since the Nuragic era are attested by the presence of nuraghi, which date back between XIX and the VI century B.C., while findings between the VII and II century B.C., witness the conquest of the area by the Phoenicians and Carthaginians. The Romans conquered and colonized the area in the III century B.C. During the Aragonese domination, the area submitted frequent attacks by the Saracen pirates, so several watchtowers were built to defend the coastline. This period of uncertainty led to the gradual depopulation of the area. The town was originally called Carnonara and became municipality in the first half of the XIX century and in this occasion its name was changed to Villasimius.

Attractions:
- the Church of Santa Maria, located not far from the main centre, was built on the ruins of some pre-existing Roman baths;
- the archaeological site is located in a vast plain, with the presence of the ruins of a large complex of the Roman baths, dating from the I century A.D. The structure was later used in the Christian era, as a place of worship;
- the Archaeological Museum, which houses among the several exhibits, a statue depicting a woman from the archaeological complex of Santa Maria;
- the Sanctuary of the goddess Ashtart, built by the Phoenicians in 750 B.C. on the beach of Cuccureddus;
- the Old Fortress, which was built for defensive purposes between the XVI and XVII centuries;
- the watchtowers of the Aragonese period.

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