Discovering Arborea

HISTORY

Arborea is a small town situated in a very green area and witha population of approximately 4,000 inhabitants. Its main streets are classified not by name but by number and, as they are intersected by the provincial road 49, are also distinguished in east and west.

Only 70 years ago this place, now a flourishing green space, was only a swamp called "Ala Birdis" (devil's wings).

During World War I some magnates from Northern Italy created the conditions for the birth of the village through the reclamation and exploitation of the territory between the ponds of S'ena Arrubia (north), Sassu (east) and San Giovanni (south).

In 1922 these works began and were then followed by many others which drew the outline of Arborea's territory.

In October 29^th, 1928 "Mussolini Village" was inaugurated in front of King Victor Emmanuel III of Italy and Count Galeazzo Ciano. The village was considered an example of determination and hard work which distinguished the early settlers coming from different regions of Italy, and in particular from Veneto, Emilia Romagna and Friuli.

The center of the village is a model of elegance and efficiency. Around the main square, at first dedicated to King Victor Emmanuel and currently called Piazza Maria Ausiliatrice (Mary Help of Christians), stand the Post Office and Town Hall building, the Church, the Schools, the Working Men’s Club, the Hotel and the first stores. And at a short distance form the square are the laundry and the former Hospital. The architecture completes the town planning layout with further noteworthy buildings like the Dewatering Pump of Sassu, the Sports Centre named GIL (i.e. Italian Fascist Youth Organization) which includes an athletics track, an outdoor swimming pool and a gym, and the House of the Fascist Party and House of Balilla (i.e. the Italian Fascist Youth Movement).