Villacidro was once a small, rural community as testified by its old town centre, the numerous town festivals and popular traditions linked to local agricultural conditions. Like almost every village on the island, a great portion of the population was dedicated to cultivating small pieces of land, properties or those that were assigned for crop use (for a year) through a drawing. There were very few families in Villacidro that did not possess a small farm or vineyard.

To this day, the town’s economy is based in part upon the sector of animal husbandry and agriculture: the majority of activities linked to animal husbandry feature sheep breeding. The dairy products are milk and many excellent cheeses while most of the agriculture is linked to oil making. Villacidro, over the years, has obtained excellent results and remarkable success in its production of extra virgin olive oil along with superior acknowledgements on a national level. However, the town has always distinguished itself and has risen to fame for its fruit production: citrus, peaches, plums, apricots and cherries as well as all kinds of vegetables that are grown both in the fields and in greenhouses.

The countryside is well populated and well cared for. The connection to the soil and its products has remained profound, notwithstanding the fact that both means of transportation and machinery have changed over time. The production of many different types of products and their quality stands alongside the remarkable transformation of the products themselves: today many companies offer oil, olives, cold cuts, specialised meat products, cheese, artichokes and thistles preserved in oil, dried tomatoes, saffron, honey, liqueurs and distilled beverages, sweets and traditional breads as well as Christmas and Easter cakes.

The many local companies that work with agriculture, breeding grounds and handcrafted works can be found mostly in the residential as well as industrial areas. Touring them all promises to be a yummy experience!