Terralba (OR)

Terralba, in the province of Oristano, is a lively center of wine production, lying on the intensely cultivated plain at the southwestern end of the Arborèa reclamation.

The toponym Terralba originates from the Latin phrases "terra", referring to the ground and "alba", white, referring to the area, consisting of a plain of light soil composed of white clays covered with a layer of earth, sand and gravel about one thick couple of meters.

Nothing remains of the ancient appearance of the village, which was a bishopric until 1503.

The parish church of S. Pietro, built in 1822 in late Baroque style, stands on the site of the destroyed cathedral of S. Maria, built in 1144 on the model and perhaps by the same workers of S. Giusta.

The territory of Terralba, thanks to its fertile sandy soils, has been inhabited since the Neolithic; in particular the testimonies found in some sites located in the countryside (including San Giovanni, San Ciriaco, Bau Angius) refer to the culture of Ozieri.

Although the Terralbese area also offers numerous testimonies of the Nuragic civilization, most of the known testimonies date back to the period of Punic domination.