SARDINIA

An autonomous special statute region of insular Italy, formed of an island bearing the same name and of numerous minor isles forming a crown among which are Asinara, La Maddalena, Caprera, San Pietro and Sant'Antioco ; it is washed by the Tyrrhenian Sea to the East, the Sardinian Sea to the West and the Mediterranean Sea to the South, being separated from Corsica to the North by the Strait of Bonifacio. The region covers a surface of 24.090 sq. km., numbers a population of approximately 1.600.000 inhabitants ; its capital is Cagliari and it is divided for administration purposes into the four provinces of Cagliari, Nuoro, Oristano and Sassari.
Rectangular in shape, extended in the direction of the meridians, the islands is formed in prevalance of granitic and sedimentary rocks. The very irregular relief is formed by a series of mountainous groups (Limbara, Gennargentu, Sarrabus) culminating at 1834 mt. in the Punta La Marmora of the Gennargentu massif. In the south-westerly sector, between the Gennargentu and the reliefs of the Iglesiente stretches the Campidano alluvial plain.
The very indented coasts, rich in coves, soft sandy shores and caves are faced by numerous islands. Of particular interest are the inland areas which show unique enviromental characteristics in the Mediterranean combined with an unpolluted nature. The water courses (Flumendosa, Coghinas, Tirso, Flumini Mannu, Cedrino, Cixerri) are of a torrent-like character and are almost all damned forming artificial basins used for the production of electric power and for the irrigation of vast areas.
The economy of the islands is traditionally baseed on breeding and on the extractive industry and tourism in in expansion. Well-known and highly-valued are the Sardinian wines.
Handicrafts have an antique tradition on the islands and are still today widely practised. Within the vast range of its products the rugs, tapestries, blankets, embroidery, baskets, carved wood and pieces of pottery are particularly esteemed.
The nature, the position of the islands, the small number of coastal resorts in comparison to the towns inland, the historic events have for long periods favoured the isolation of the Sardinian populations permitting the autonomous development of their lives and reducing to a minimum the external influences. An historic continuity exists in the landscape, in the uses and customs of the people. It is a continuity which goes back in time to the Nuraghi millenaries, to the "domus de janas" to the Punic and Roman archeological remains and to the precious medioeval churches.

CITY OF ASSEMINI

The urban of Assemini, great agricultural, commercial and industrial center it stretches in the lowland to north of the pond of Santa Gilla. The his florid conomy is based on the housing, on the important chemical installations and on the notable production of the traditional craftsmanship of the ceramics, for which Assemini is notorious in Italy and to the foreign countries. Furthermore important consequence has the workmanship of the wood, of the baskets and of the beat iron. Typical the chairs straw-bottomeds and carves. Particular emphasis also merits the cookery with the sweet of kernels and the "panadas" (foils of filled paste and cooked in the oven). Recognized capital of the entertainment with numerous discos frequents by young people and fewer young people than all the province. Is situated practically to the mouths of the Cixerri rivers and Flumini Mannu. The old inhabited center is easily recognizable because corporate from old houses to one or two floors in bricks of mud and straw ("ladiri") with an inside courtyard- frequently at garden- intercommunicate with the exterior through a large portal to arc, along narrow streets. Through the tightened streets of the old zone of the village the church of San Giovanni is arrived at in short, somebody of the rare examples of building of the period Byzantine (it goes up again to the X-XI century) of the island. The church of San Pietro, of the first half of the XI century, reconstructed in the XVI century in Gothic style. It has the façade rectangular emblatted, with a bell tower to quadrate base and of hexagonal form of the eighteenth century in the superior part. It is to a nave with lateral chapels. The church romanesque of Santa Lucia, patron of the country, is to three naves, with the façade divided by three portions, ample central boss and bell tower to sail.
Interesting also the church of San Cristoforo (XVII century) and the church of Sant'Andrea, renovated of recent. The manifestations of Assemini include the famous Asseminese Matrimony, in traditional custom; the Festival Internazionale of the Folklore and the annual Show of the Craftsmanship. The environs of the town are very interesting by the point of naturalistic sight, and they include two very distinct sectors: the damp area of the pond of Santa Gilla and the area of the mountains. The area of the mountains of the territory of Assemini, bordering with Capoterra and Santadi, it is gained exactly with the road that unites these two centers and it constitutes an important sector of forests, known as dale of Gutturu Mannu, in which the regional park of the Sulcis is foreseen and is already existing the permanent oasis of the WWF, where they could be admired fantastic exemplary of sardian deer it is a grandiose dale fully cover by dense forests of mediterranean type. Notable the surrounding of the lagoon of Santa Gilla, marshy area of big interest of the landscape and naturalistic; the outlooks are magnificent and give the possibility of observe the rare birds that populate the pond. Despite the absence of protection, there is admired, in big number, marshy birds among which the flamingos. For his proximity to Cagliari (9 Km.), to the airport (5 Km.) to the very handsome beaches, the town of Assemini covers again a strategic position in the lowland of the Campidano and offers the possibility of effect excursions at different themes: the sea, the complex of the "nuraghe" of Barumini, the archeological excavations of Nora and of Tharros, the uncontaminated nature of the parks, the Giara of Gesturi with the exemplary indigenous ponies, the caves of Santadi and other anchor.