Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
ORISTANO & THE WEST
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Oristano
POP 32,156
With its elegant shopping streets, ornate piazzas and popular cafes, Oristano's animated
centre makes a great base for exploring this part of the island. The city was founded in the
11th century and became capital of the Giudicato d'Arborea, one of Sardinia's four inde-
pendent provinces.
Eleonora d'Arborea, a heroine in the Joan of Arc mould, became head of the
giudicato
in
1383 and led the fierce resistance against the island's Spanish invaders. But with her death,
anti-Spanish opposition crumbled and Oristano was incorporated into the rest of Aragon-
controlled Sardinia. Eleonora is also remembered for her celebrated
Carta di Logu
(Code
of Laws), an extraordinary law code that tackled land and property legislation as well as in-
troducing a raft of women's rights.
