Thirty thousand inhabitants and a territory rich in history and traditions: these are some of the distinctive features of Selargius. A municipality with a strong identity, partly enclosed in the coat of arms shown in the banner and in the municipal signs: a late Gothic marble cross on a column with Corinthian capital (sa cruxi ‘e marmuri), a vine branch with a bunch of grapes, two ears of wheat and two flamingos in flight to remember the link with the nearby pond of Molentargius and with the now disappeared one of Pauli.
Nestled between Cagliari, Monserrato, Sestu, Settimo San Pietro and Quartucciu, the territory holds important evidence of the pre-nuraghic period, especially in the site of Su Coddu / Canelles, a locality on the outskirts of the town, where archaeological excavations have brought to light a vast settlement of Ozieri culture (3,500-2,800 BC). But there are also testimonies from the Phoenician-Punic and Roman eras, dating back to the times when the town began to be an important center of salt collection. In the historic center of the country there are several Campidanese houses, built with raw mud bricks (ladiri) and equipped with a porch (sa lolla) overlooking a large courtyard. In the Si ‘e Boi square, next to the ancient distillery now converted into the Civic Theater, there is the monumental parish dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Assumption, a sacred 15th century building with a Latin cross plan. A visit to the nearby church of San Giuliano, which houses a wooden crucifix from the end of the sixteenth century, is inevitable. And we still remember: the sanctuary of San Lussorio, presumably built already during the XII century in Romanesque-Pisan forms and inserted among the Christian Sanctuaries of Italy; the modern country church of Santa Rosa built with sandstone walls and equipped with a Latin cross layout. But Selargius has so much more to offer. First of all Sa Coja Antiga, the wedding in chains has become an unmissable event even outside the regional borders. An event full of charm, which for almost a century has been proposed with unchanged success, so much so that it has been included by the Autonomous Region of Sardinia among the manifestations of regional interest. From a food and wine point of view, the cultivation, harvesting and processing of capers are very important, highly appreciated and requested also abroad. The flagship of the territory are also durum wheat bread in the different varieties of daily bread (moddizzosu and civraxiu) and that of the festivals (coccoi pintau or spouses’ bread) which is still decorated and chiseled with great care and dedication by women selargine. And still the desserts made with sweet almond, raisin and sapa, and the wine that, produced in large quantities since the first half of the twentieth century, has allowed the territory to obtain prestigious awards.
Dott.ssa Roberta Relli
Assessorato alle Attività Produttive e Politiche Culturali