Sanluri
Sanluri, a charming medieval village located in a peaceful plain in the Medio Campidano province and lapped by the Mannu river, is enwrapped in the ancient walls of its old centre. Its name, "Sellori” in ancient times, recalls the rich wheat production it had been known for, through the centuries. Today, the name Sanluri is a tribute to his former patron saint, St Lawrence.
An adorable Medieval village, a heartbeat of splendour and grandeur
The history of this village originated in the Middle Ages as a strategic location between the powerful Judicates of Cagliari and Arborea, in 1300.
The Castle, known as the Castle of Eleanor of Arborea, built between the 12th and the 14th century, stands like an icon of power and has lived on through the centuries as the only inhabited castle in Sardinia. Its role had its peak in the epic battle of 1409, when Peter IV, King of Aragon, had it fortified in just 27 days before a crucial fight with the Spanish army and the armies of the Sardinian Judicate. This story is re-enacted every other year in late June.
Nowadays, the castle has been converted into an amazing museum, Museo "Duca d'Aosta", which feels like travelling through the Middle Ages and Renaissance. Another fascinating museum is the Museo Etnografico dei Cappuccini, which guards liturgical furnishings and historical documents that chronicle four hundred years in the life of the monastic community in Sardinia.
The parish church of Nostra Signora delle Grazie (Our Lady of Graces), built in the late 18th century, is a religious symbol with a precious medieval reredos dedicated to St Anne. Other churches, such as the churches of St Peter, St Roch and St Martin, enrich the religious heritage of Sanluri.
Sanluri is renowned for the "civraxu," a delicious durum wheat bread, and the Museum of civraxu bread and baking tells everything about the ancient baking techniques and the local culinary traditions.
