Villanovafranca

Nuraghe Su Mulinu is an archaeological site located in the territory of Villanovafranca, in the province of South Sardinia.

Las Plassas, Is Pratzas or Is Platzas in the Sardinian language, is a comune (municipality) in the Province of South Sardinia in the Italian region Sardinia, located about 50 kilometres (31 miles) north of Cagliari and about 15 kilometres (9 miles) northeast of Sanluri. Las Plassas borders the following municipalities: Barumini, Pauli Arbarei, Tuili, Villamar, Villanovafranca.

Su Nuraxi is a nuragic archaeological site in Barumini, Sardinia, Italy. Su Nuraxi simply means "The Nuraghe" in Campidanese, the southern variant of the Sardinian language. Su Nuraxi is a settlement consisting of a seventeenth century BC Nuraghe, a bastion of four corner towers plus a central one, and a village inhabited from the thirteenth to the sixth century BC, developed around the Nuraghe. They are considered by scholars the most impressive expression of the Nuragic civilization and were included in the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites in 1997 as Su Nuraxi di Barumini.

Setzu is a comune (municipality) in the Province of South Sardinia in the Italian region Sardinia, located about 60 kilometres (37 mi) northwest of Cagliari and about 15 kilometres (9 mi) north of Sanluri. Setzu borders the following municipalities: Genoni, Genuri, Gesturi, Tuili, Turri.

Guasila is a comune (municipality) in the Province of South Sardinia in the Italian region Sardinia, located about 40 kilometres (25 mi) north of Cagliari. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 2,871 and an area of 43.5 square kilometres (16.8 sq mi).Guasila borders the following municipalities: Furtei, Gesico, Guamaggiore, Ortacesus, Pimentel, Samatzai, Segariu, Serrenti, Villamar, Villanovafranca.

Turri is a comune (municipality) in the Province of South Sardinia in the Italian region Sardinia, located about 60 kilometres (37 mi) northwest of Cagliari and about 15 kilometres (9 mi) north of Sanluri. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 500 and an area of 9.6 square kilometres (3.7 sq mi).Turri borders the following municipalities: Baradili, Baressa, Genuri, Pauli Arbarei, Setzu, Tuili, Ussaramanna.

Gesico, Gèsigu in Sardinian language, is a comune (municipality) in the Province of South Sardinia in the Italian region Sardinia, located about 45 kilometres (28 mi) north of Cagliari. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 954 and an area of 25.5 square kilometres (9.8 sq mi).Gesico borders the following municipalities: Escolca, Guamaggiore, Guasila, Mandas, Selegas, Suelli, Villanovafranca.

Gergei is a comune (municipality) in the Province of South Sardinia in the Italian region Sardinia, located about 50 kilometres (31 mi) north of Cagliari. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 1,413 and an area of 36.1 square kilometres (13.9 sq mi).Gergei borders the following municipalities: Barumini, Escolca, Gesturi, Isili, Mandas, Serri.

The Giara di Gesturi, Sardinian: Sa Jara Manna, is a high, steep-sided basaltic plateau which extends for about 42 km2 (16 sq mi) in the districts (comuni) of Gesturi, Tuili and Setzu in the province of Medio Campidano, and Genoni in the province of Oristano, in the southern central part of the island of Sardinia, Italy. The plateau was formed some 2.7 million years ago when lava from the cones of Zepparedda (609 m (1,998 ft)) and Zeppara Manna (580 m (1,900 ft)) covered older sedimentary rock. The average height of the plateau is approximately 550 m (1,800 ft); it is accessible in only a few places, known as scalas ("stairs, ladders"). Along the perimeter of the plateau are the remains of 23 Nuraghi; the Nuraghic complex of Su Nuraxi di Barumini is a few kilometres to the south. Monte Arci, another basaltic geological formation, is located to the west of the Giara di Gesturi. The surface of the Giara di Gesturi has a number of shallow depressions, Sardinian: paulis, some of which are deep enough to hold water year round; the largest of these is the Pauli Maiori (not to be confused with the Ramsar-designated Stagno di Pauli Maiori near Oristano). The soil of the plateau is shallow, rarely exceeding 50 cm (20 in) in depth. The Giara di Gesturi is home to over 350 plant species, notably the Cork oak, and to the majority of the surviving population of the Giara Horse.The whole of the Giara di Gesturi lies within an area which was included in the Regional Plan of Parks and Nature Reserves approved by Regional Law no. 31 of 1989 (Parco Regionale della Giara, which has a total area of 120 km2 (46 sq mi)), but the Park was not subsequently designated.

Escolca, Iscroca in sardinian language, is a comune (municipality) in the Province of South Sardinia in the Italian region Sardinia, located about 50 kilometres (31 mi) north of Cagliari. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 652 and an area of 14.7 square kilometres (5.7 sq mi).The municipality of Escolca contains the frazione (subdivision) San Simone. Escolca borders the following municipalities: Barumini, Gergei, Gesico, Mandas, Serri, Villanovafranca.

The Battle of Sanluri was fought on 30 June 1409 between the armies of the Sardinian Judicate of Arborea and the Aragonese-Sicilian army led by the King Martin I of Sicily.The location was the fortified village of Sanluri, in Sardinia. The Arborean army was led by Judge William III of Narbonne, and Martin commanded in person the Aragonese army. The Sardinian army was composed mostly of mercenaries, including the renowned Genoese crossbowmen and other units from France and northern Italy. There are a few details about the battle. The Aragonese were less numerous though much better trained, and managed to divide the Arborean army into two parts which were then destroyed separately. A contingent under William survived taking refuge in the castle of Monreale, in the near village of Sardara. Other Sardinian troops were captured in Sanluri, and much of the local Sardinian population was slaughtered in a plain which has taken the name of s'occidroxiu ("the slaughter") ever since.Martin died a few days later in Cagliari, allegedly by malaria transmitted by a Sanlurese mistress. The battle did not directly conclude the war, but it paved the way to the Aragonese conquest of the Arborean Judicate, which fell the following year.

The Catalan-Aragonese conquest of Sardinia took place between 1323 and 1326. The island of Sardinia was at the time subject to the influence of the Republic of Pisa, the Pisan della Gherardesca family, Genoa and of the Genoese families of Doria and the Malaspina; the only native political entity survived was the Judicate of Arborea, allied with the Crown of Aragon. The financial difficulties due to the wars in Sicily (until 1295), the conflict with the Crown of Castile in the land of Murcia and Alicante (1296-1304) and the failed attempt to conquer Almeria (1309) explain the delay of James II of Aragon in bringing the conquest of Sardinia, enfeoffed to him by Pope Boniface VIII in 1297. The possession of the island of Sardinia was crucial for the Crown of Aragon. Sardinia was abundant of natural resources like silver and salt and had a thriving agro-pastoral economy; also its geographical location ensured more control over the western Mediterranean and the island itself was an indispensable basis for the creation of so-called ruta de las islas (route of the islands) that allowed to halve the time of sailing to reach the rich markets of the Eastern Mediterranean.