Sardinia · Oristano
Santu Lussurgiu
A Montiferru village at 503 meters where the Carnival horse race runs through a steep stone street and saddlery has been made since 1923.
Picked by Peter Benei
Letter to come
Why Santu Lussurgiu is on our list
It holds Borghi Autentici.
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Visiting
- Best time
- Apr–Jun, Sep–Nov
- By car
- 1 h 50 min from Cagliari
- Population
- 2,179
- J11°
- F13°
- M14°
- A17°
- M21°
- J27°
- J32°
- A31°
- S26°
- O21°
- N16°
- D12°
- Best
- Hot or crowded
- Quiet
- Mostly closed
Daytime air temperature, averages for 2020–2024. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com.
Why come
Santu Lussurgiu sits at 503 meters on the eastern slope of the Montiferru, the extinct volcano that defines the inland Oristano province. The village was named for Lussorio, a Roman soldier martyred in 303 under Diocletian. Horses are the second name.
The Giudicato of Arborea and the later Spanish viceroys both increased local breeding, and the village developed lines suited to racing. Sa Carrela 'e Nanti, the Carnival horse race, runs across the last three days of Carnival each year, masked riders in pairs galloping down a steep stone street, an event placed alongside the Sartiglia of Oristano and the Ardia of Sedilo among the deep events of Sardinian folklore. The Spanu saddlery opened on the Corso in 1923 and is still run by the family.
The narrow Lussurgese horse collar, with a single row of bells, was designed for the racing gallop. The village rises into the Montiferru woods, with the Sos Molinos waterfalls a short drive uphill.
How to get there
From Cagliari (CAG), about 2 h 4 min by car.
Coming by train into Sassari? Santu Lussurgiu is about 1 h 28 min away by road.
First time driving in Italy? Read our complete manual.
What to see
Sa Carrela 'e Nanti
Carnival horse race down a steep stone street, masked riders in pairs, held over the last three days of Carnival each year.
Museo della Tecnologia Contadina
Ethnographic museum of rural Montiferru life, tools and crafts of the village before mechanization, in the centro storico.
Chiesa parrocchiale di Santa Maria degli Angeli
Parish church of the village, the religious anchor of the medieval centro storico on the Montiferru slope.
Cascate di Sos Molinos
Waterfalls in the oak woods above the village, on the upper Riu Maiore, a short drive uphill from the centro storico.
Centro storico e selleria Spanu
Stone village laid out on the Montiferru slope, with the Spanu saddlery on the Corso in continuous operation since 1923.
From the guides
Where to eat
Not our picks, but places the guides put their name to: a Michelin star, a Gambero Rosso fork, a Slow Food snail, a Michelin Key for the hotels. Worth a table, a counter, or a night when you pass through.
Antica Dimora del GruccioneTrattoria
Antica Dimora del Gruccione has two Gambero Rosso prawns to its name.
Before you sit down: how to order at a restaurant, how to spot a tourist trap, what aperitivo is and how the Italian bar works.
Living here
Could you live here?
Santu Lussurgiu is at the end of the road.
- A village of 2,179. The nearest town of 5,000 people, Macomer, is 26 min away: past our 15-minute rule, which makes this the end of the road.
- Oristano, a city of 30,067, is 41 min by car. Inside our 30 to 60 minutes: close for the services, far enough to keep its own life.
The rules come from our series Where to Move in Italy, written from the places we have lived: Part 1, The End of the Road · Part 2, The Small Town · Part 3, The City · Part 4, The Postcard · Part 5, The Other Half. The towns we would pick are in Part 6, The Best Towns.
- Population 2,179, down 9.8% since 2015
- Nearest city Oristano, 41 min drive
- Nearest national health service hospital Ghilarza, 17 km as the crow flies · how healthcare works in Italy
- Homes in the center: €400 to €600 per m² to buy, €1.40 to €2.00 per m² a month to rent
All the numbers Common questions, designations, lists and sources.
More about living here
- In-between
- Pharmacy in town
- High school within a 30-minute drive
- Full fibre reaches 68% of homes
- Primary school in the comune
- Earthquake zone 4, very low hazard
- Alghero airport (AHO), 1 h 57 min drive, the nearest with scheduled flights
- Regional capital Cagliari, 1 h 50 min drive
If you are moving here
Who lives here
2% of residents are foreign citizens, most often from Romania, against 9% across Italy. There are 303 people over 65 for every 100 children under 15, against 216 across Italy. 46% of homes have no resident, holiday homes and empty ones counted together, against 27% across Italy. Oristano province ranks 72nd of 107 in Il Sole 24 Ore's quality of life ranking for 2025.
Health and schools
The nearest emergency room is in Ghilarza, 17 km as the crow flies. The nearest major one is in Alghero, 59 km away. The nearest children's emergency room is in Oristano, 26 km away. The nearest IB school is Ambrit International School, 372 km as the crow flies. The nearest school listed as international is Chatterbox Schools and College, 110 km away.
Information, not medical advice. Confirm with a professional.
Taxes
A home that is not your main one pays 0.76% a year in property tax, charged on the cadastral value rather than the price. A main home pays none unless it is in a luxury category. 7% pensioner tax: this town qualifies, for someone with a foreign pension who has lived abroad for five years: 7% on foreign income, for ten years.
Information, not tax advice. Confirm with a professional.
What it costs
The average household in Sardinia spends about €1,790 a month, €530 of it on food, against about €2,170 across Italy. A family of three pays about €539 a year for water, on the Sardinia average.
Climate and risk
It is in climate zone D, on a scale from A, the warmest, to F, the coldest, and heating may run from November 1 to April 15, up to 12 hours a day, unless the mayor changes it. Under 1% of residents live in a zone the national maps rate high for floods. 1% live in a zone rated high or very high for landslides.
These shares cover the whole comune, not any one street. Check an address on IdroGEO.
Moving from abroad? Which visa you need. Sources: ISTAT, the Ministry of Health, ISPRA, the Finance Ministry, the Ministry of Enterprise, Poste Italiane, the comuni, the IB, International Schools Database, Il Sole 24 Ore, Cittadinanzattiva.
Known for
SA CARRELA
Carnival horse race down a steep stone street, alongside the Sartiglia and the Ardia one of the great Sardinian equestrian events.
SADDLERY
Spanu saddlery on the Corso, in operation since 1923, makers of the narrow Lussurgese horse collar designed for racing.
MONTIFERRU
Extinct volcano that defines the inland Oristano province, with oak woods, waterfalls, and the Bue Rosso cattle breed.
Common questions
- What is Santu Lussurgiu known for?
- Santu Lussurgiu is a Montiferru village at 503 meters where the Carnival horse race runs through a steep stone street and saddlery has been made since 1923.
- Where is Santu Lussurgiu?
- Santu Lussurgiu is a comune in the province of Oristano, in Sardinia.
- What is the nearest airport to Santu Lussurgiu?
- The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Alghero (AHO), about 1 h 57 min by car.
- When is the best time to visit Santu Lussurgiu?
- Best in Apr–Jun, Sep–Nov. July is the warmest month, averaging 32 degrees, and December the wettest, with about 12 rain days.
- Which other towns are like Santu Lussurgiu?
- Barumini, Orroli and Cuglieri.
- How many people live in Santu Lussurgiu?
- 2,179 residents, by ISTAT's count on 1 January 2025.
- Is Santu Lussurgiu a good place to live?
- By the rules in our Where to Move in Italy series, Santu Lussurgiu is at the end of the road: the nearest town of 5,000 people, Macomer, is 26 min away. The nearest city, Oristano, is 41 min away by car. The nearest national health service hospital is in Ghilarza, 17 km as the crow flies. Full fibre reaches 68% of homes.
Tags & data designations · numbers · sources
Recognized as
Landscape
The numbers
- Elevation: 503 m
- Population: 2,179
- Surface area: 99.8 km²
These figures were compiled from public directories: ISTAT, OpenStreetMap and Wikidata, and from the official listings of the guides named on this page. Town details change; verify with official sources before you travel.
Similar
Towns like Santu Lussurgiu
What all six share with Santu Lussurgiu: under 3,000 people · hill towns
The letter
Santu Lussurgiu is on our list. Its letter is still to come.
We are writing about all 1,000 of these towns, one at a time, in a free letter: the photo, what is worth eating, and when to turn up. That is our mission. Sign up and you will be there when Santu Lussurgiu comes up. By Peter & Sophia, from Turin.
The nearest town we have written up is Monte Argentario, 328 km away. Read its letter →
Paid plans, the moving year and the books are on the membership page.