Aritzo

Village description

"Su Textile", a big natural stone tower in the shape of a mushroom overlooks this village on its West side. Aritzo belonged to the giudicato of Arborea, then to the marquisate of Oristano, and finally under the Spanish and the Aragonese reigns, together with the whole region called Mandrolisai, was happily administrated by its inhabitants. Since the beginning of the 20th century is has been considered the village of the snow: people used to keep the snow inside the "domos de nie" (natural caves, a sort of natural refrigerators) since winter to use it to make ice creams during summer. Wood handicraft and confectionery production of nougat are peculiarity of Aritzo. During fall the festival of the chestnuts attracts tourists from the whole island.