Within the town, the parish church of Sant’Efisio, patron saint of the town, whose original nucleus was called Villa sant’Efisio, stands out for its history and tradition. Identity and legend materialize in the church of santa Barbara de Montes, from the Romanesque period, erected on the eastern slopes of the Capoterra mountains. Fifty meters from the church, Basilian monks built a chapel, where the story goes that the Cagliari martyr Barbara was beheaded during Christian persecution. The head, as it fell, allegedly originated a spring, still active today, sa Scabizzada (the beheaded). The area around became the summer residence of Cagliari families in the 20th century: you will see beautiful villas nestled among palm trees and centuries-old olive trees.

In the Punic period (V-IV century BC) there is a settlement on Loi and a necropolis in Sant’Antonio. From history to astrophysics: in the reliefs near the hamlet of Poggio dei Pini stands the astronomical observatory frequented by international teams of scientists. The name comes from the Latin Caput terrae: in the Roman period the urban center (perhaps an oppidum) developed near the lagoon. In the Judicial Age it was the villa of the curatoria of Nora and, from 1120, of the Giudicato of Cagliari. After passing to the Pisan lordship and later the Aragonese conquest, the village was destroyed and uninhabited for three centuries. Until the mid-seventeenth century when Baron Girolamo Torrelas decided to repopulate it, granting families in other parts of Sardinia plots of land and ‘good conditions’ to escape slopes with minor justice.

Inside the town  the parish church of Sant’Efisio is noted for its history and tradition. Sant’Efisio is the patron saint of the town, whose original nucleus was called Villa sant’Efisio. Identity and legend materialize in the church of Santa Barbara de Montes, of the Romanesque period, built on the eastern slopes of the Capoterresi mountains. 50 meters from the church the Basilian monks built a chapel, where it is said that the Cagliari martyr Barbara was beheaded during the Christian persecution. The head, falling, would have originated a spring, still active, sa Scabizzada (the beheaded). In the 20th century the surrounding area became a summer residence for families from Cagliari: you will see beautiful villas surrounded by palm trees and olive trees.