Villasimius

Comune in Sardinia, Italy

Villasimius Crabonaxa
Comune
Comune di Villasimius

Coat of arms
Location of Villasimius
39°08′N 09°31′E / 39.133°N 9.517°E / 39.133; 9.517
Country	Italy
Region	Sardinia
Province	South Sardinia
Government
• Mayor	Gianluca Dessì
Area
• Total	58.2 km² (22.5 sq mi)
Elevation	41 m (135 ft)
Population (30 November 2017)^[1]
• Total	3,710
• Density	64/km² (170/sq mi)
Demonym	Villasimiesi
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	09049
Dialing code	070
Patron saint	Saint Raphael
Saint day	24 October
Website	Official website

Villasimius (Italian: [villasˈsiːmjus]; Campidanese: Crabonaxa [kɾaβɔˈnaʒa]), is a comune (municipality) in the Province of South Sardinia in the Italian region of Sardinia, located about 35 kilometres (22 mi) east of Cagliari.

History

Due to its strategically important site, Villasimius' territory was inhabited since prehistoric times, as testified by nuraghe (19th–6th centuries BC), Phoenician-Carthaginian (7th–2nd centuries BC) and Roman (3rd century BC – 6th century AD) remains.

During the giudicati (Sardinian kingdoms), Aragonese and Spanish reigns, the territory suffered numerous pirate raids and became increasingly depopulated. The village name was, at least from the 13th century, Carbonara; this was repopulated from the early 19th century when it was under the Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont, becoming a comune in 1838. Villasimius' economy was traditionally based on agriculture and shepherding and, from 1875 to the extraction of granite. Its tourism industry began in the late 1960s and is now Villasimius' main economic activity.

In 1998 the Capo Carbonara National Marine Park was created. It encompasses all the waters surrounding the headlands in the eastern Gulf of Cagliari, from Villasimius' western border with Solanas, to its northern border with Castiadas.

Main sights

Beaches

The area's most important beaches [1] are Cala Burroni, Cala Caterina, Campus, Piscadeddus, Porto Giunco, Porto Sa Ruxi, Punta Molentis, Simius, Spiaggia del Riso, Timi Ama.