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Where is Cabras located?
Nestled on the left bank of the pond of the same name – also known as Mari Pontis – Cabras is located a few kilometres from Oristano.
Its vast municipal territory extends to the sea and includes over 30 kilometres of coastline, encompassing the entire Sinis Peninsula and the picturesque uninhabited islets of Catalano and Mal di Ventre.
The place name Cabras, also attested as Capras, refers to the Latin capra or the Sardinian crapa / crawa, a clear reference to the agricultural and pastoral nature of the area.
Historical notes: from its origins to the Savoy period
After the gradual abandonment of Tharros, threatened by Phoenician-Punic raids, the first inhabitants settled around the Arborean judicial castle, of which very few ruins remain today.
In the Middle Ages, Cabras played an important role within the Giudicato di Arborea (Judicate of Arborea) and is mentioned as villa de Capras in the 1388 peace treaty between Eleonora d'Arborea and the Crown of Aragon.
With the fall of the Marquisate of Oristano (1478), the territory first passed to the Crown of Aragon, then to that of Spain, until it passed to the Habsburgs (1713) and the Savoy (1720).
Ponds and protected natural areas
The Cabras Pond is one of the largest in Europe (approximately 20 km²) and is protected by the Ramsar Convention.
It was once ploughed by the fascinating is fassonis, fishing boats of ancient origin made from dried and woven marsh grasses, similar to those used by the Phoenicians.
The lagoon system is completed by:
- Mistras Lagoon,
- the ponds of Mare ’e Pauli and Pauli ’e Sai, the latter being a WWF area and habitat of the rare Pollo Sultano bird.
The natural symbol of Cabras remains the pink flamingo, which can be observed from the walkways along the banks of the pond.
The Sinis Peninsula and its iconic beaches
The WWF area of Seu, in the heart of Sinis, offers a surprisingly varied coastline:
- to the south, rocky stretches around San Giovanni di Sinis;
- To the north, sandy and quartz beaches such as Is Arutas, Mari Ermi and Punta Maimoni, stretching to the wild cliffs of Capo Mannu, a surfer's paradise.
Beneath the promontory of Capo Mannu lies Cala Saline with the Salina and the beach of Putzu Idu, the starting point for excursions to Mal di Ventre, known in Sardinian as Malu Entu (bad wind), an islet battered by the mistral wind and surrounded by waters frequented by the Caretta caretta sea turtle and cetaceans.
Tharros and the archaeology of Sinis
South of the Sinis peninsula, there is a strip of land that ends with a sheer cliff, where the Capo San Marco lighthouse is located.
Starting from the village of San Giovanni di Sinis, you will find the ruins of the ancient Phoenician city of Tharros, an open-air museum overlooking the sea: baths, temples, shops and streets tell the story of the city's Roman period in particular.
The artefacts are now kept at:
- Cagliari National Archaeological Museum
- Antiquarium Arborense of Oristano
- Giovanni Marongiu Municipal Archaeological Museum in Cabras;
- British Museum, London (unseen collections)
The Nuragic heritage is also extraordinary, culminating in the monumental statues of the Giganti di Mont’e Prama, carved in chalky sandstone and depicting warriors or athletes from the site of Monti Prama, predating the kouroi of ancient Greece, and after Egyptian sculptures.
Traditions, churches and the Corsa degli Scalzi (Race of the Barefoot)
The parish church of Santa Maria Assunta, built in the 17th century on the ruins of the Arborean castle, is the religious heart of Cabras. Also of great historical value are:
- the early Christian church of San Giovanni di Sinis, which originally stood on a pagan cemetery, later Christian, built in blocks of whitish sandstone.
- the sanctuary of San Salvatore, with an underground pagan temple dedicated to the gods of water (dedicated to Mars and Venus and dating back to around 300 AD).
Every year on the first Sunday in September, the village of the same name hosts a traditional procession known as the “ Corsa degli scalzi" (Race of the Barefoot), where hundreds of young people and adults, dressed in white penitential robes and barefoot, carry the statue from the parish church to the sanctuary of San Salvatore, running for about 7 km along the dusty roads of Sinis, thus commemorating the rescue of the statue from an attack by the Saracens. The next day, the ritual is repeated in reverse and the Saint returns to Cabras.
Cabras and bottarga: the "caviar of the Mediterranean"
The town is known for being the largest Sardinian producer of the typical bottarga, pressed, salted and dried mullet roe, which can be enjoyed in delicious recipes in various restaurants around the town.
In August, the “Sagra della Bottarga” enhances this delicious food, a true 'caviar' of the Mediterranean.
A typical dish of Cabras is “Sa merca“: mullets are wrapped in lake herbs and then left to soak in salt water.
Where to stay: hospitality in Sinis