What is Santu Lussurgiu known for?

Carnival horse race down a steep stone street, alongside the Sartiglia and the Ardia one of the great Sardinian equestrian events. Spanu saddlery on the Corso, in operation since 1923, makers of the narrow Lussurgese horse collar designed for racing. Extinct volcano that defines the inland Oristano province, with oak woods, waterfalls, and the Bue Rosso cattle breed.

Where is Santu Lussurgiu?

Santu Lussurgiu is a comune in the province of Oristano, Sardinia region of Italy, about 92 kilometers from Sassari.

Sardinia · Oristano

Santu Lussurgiu

A Montiferru village at 503 meters where the Carnival horse race runs through a steep stone street and saddlery has been made since 1923.

503m

Elevation

92 km / 57 mi

Nearest hub (Sassari)

2,215

Population

Apr–Jun, Sep–Nov

Best time to visit

Recognised as

Borghi Autentici

Why come

Santu Lussurgiu sits at 503 meters on the eastern slope of the Montiferru, the extinct volcano that defines the inland Oristano province. The village was named for Lussorio, a Roman soldier martyred in 303 under Diocletian. Horses are the second name. The Giudicato of Arborea and the later Spanish viceroys both increased local breeding, and the village developed lines suited to racing. Sa Carrela 'e Nanti, the Carnival horse race, runs across the last three days of Carnival each year, masked riders in pairs galloping down a steep stone street, an event placed alongside the Sartiglia of Oristano and the Ardia of Sedilo among the deep events of Sardinian folklore. The Spanu saddlery opened on the Corso in 1923 and is still run by the family. The narrow Lussurgese horse collar, with a single row of bells, was designed for the racing gallop. The village rises into the Montiferru woods, with the Sos Molinos waterfalls a short drive uphill.

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Gallery

8 photos · scroll →

Known for

Sa Carrela 'e Nanti
Carnival horse race down a steep stone street, masked riders in pairs, held over the last three days of Carnival each year.
Museo della Tecnologia Contadina
Ethnographic museum of rural Montiferru life, tools and crafts of the village before mechanization, in the centro storico.
Chiesa parrocchiale di Santa Maria degli Angeli
Parish church of the village, the religious anchor of the medieval centro storico on the Montiferru slope.
Cascate di Sos Molinos
Waterfalls in the oak woods above the village, on the upper Riu Maiore, a short drive uphill from the centro storico.
Centro storico e selleria Spanu
Stone village laid out on the Montiferru slope, with the Spanu saddlery on the Corso in continuous operation since 1923.

When to visit

Best months · Apr–Jun, Sep–Nov

Best
Hot or crowded
Quiet
Mostly closed

April through June is the green window in the Montiferru. The oak woods leaf out, the Sos Molinos waterfalls run full, and Santu Lussurgiu at 503 meters keeps mornings cool well into the warm months. September through November brings the second window, mushrooms in the woods and the cattle moved between pastures. July and August touch the low thirties, and the village rests in midafternoon under the shade of the Montiferru slope. Carnival is the other peak. Sa Carrela 'e Nanti fills the streets for three days each February, and the cold dry air on the slope holds the smell of woodsmoke and horses. Winter is otherwise quiet.