The cloak of pine trees is a tribute to the immense environmental sacrifice that this land, as the entire island of Sardinia, was forced to endure. At one time these mountains were covered with Mediterranean brush as well as holly oak and cork groves which were completely destroyed during the Savoy reign: the timber was needed to keep the fusion ovens running at the nearby foundry that was open from 1743-1806.

In 1888, Villacidro’s Administration decided to return its original aspect to the mountains and to protect the town from inclement weather that the deforestation had very much worsened by planting 500 pine trees. The pine was chosen due to its rapid growth, because its wood is light and, above all, because it is not good kindling wood, in memory of the sacrifice of those woods which had gone up in smoke in the past.

The small plants took to the soil easily and within a few years grew remarkably and increased in number. Villacidro earned beauty and its air became much healthier to breathe, attracting plenty of holidaymakers, many of whom arrived from Cagliari during the summer months in order to escape the suffocating heat of the town.