| History.
Villasimius from the Middle Ages to the Present.
In the second half of the Middle Ages, under the Spanish dominion,
 Carbonara
was a prosperous village, living from agriculture and dairy farming.
However, its inhabitants were mainly concerned with the utilisation
of the surrounding forests, producing charcoal (hence the name
Carbonara). In the woods, they were able happily to subsist, supplementing
their diet with fish and crustaceans. However, they only fished
near the coast, because of the risk of pirates.
In this period, the defensive system of coastal towers arose,
decreed by Philip the Second, King of Spain decreed, to spot the
enemy at a distance and defend the villages from the incursions,
first of the Arabs, and later of the Barbarians, coming from north
Africa.They were erected on the headlands and islands, which represented
strategic points, since they guaranteed visual communication with
the towers on either side.
The Spanish towers scattered along the coast are those of the
islands of Cavoli and Serpentara, strategically the most important,
Capo Boi,  Fortezza
Vecchia (“the old fortress”, composed of several towers),
Porto Giunco, Guardia di Columbaria and Cala Pira, now part of
Castiadas.
Because of the frequent privateering raids, the inhabitants of
Carbonara were forced to emigrate inwards, thus leaving the area
uninhabited.
Repopulated at the beginning of the 19th century, Carbonara managed
to attract few families of farmers and shepherds from around the
island.
The recent origins of the village, however, go back to 1820, when
the Marquis of Quirra, the last feudal ruler after the Carroz,
commissioned the infantryman Antonio Incani to carry out investigations
and surveys of the area. Intrigued by the extraordinary beauty
of the countryside, and by the possibilities offered by the fertile
land, General Incani was able to fulfil his charge. Thus, from
this moment, he worked on the construction of, what today is,
the village centre. Incani paid for a small church to be built,
and around his own property (still existing in the eponymous piazza)
he transformed the huts into small houses with tiled roofs.
Initially, the village, thanks to an influx of people, mainly
shepherds and farmers, from communities near Cagliari, grew very
quickly, to such an extent that, after only about a dozen years,
it numbered more than 500 inhabitants. Then in 1860, for reasons
which remain unclear, the inhabitants of Carbonara decided to
change the name of their village to Villasimius.
The greatest problem at the time was lack of communication with
the island capital, which could be reached only by boat or, on
land, by mule track. This latter option meant seven or eight hours
on horseback along the coast, with the risk of falling down one
of the many steep cliffs, before arriving in Cagliari. Trading
vessels landed in the small port of Torre Vecchia, but often,
because of rough seas and bad weather, this operation was impossible,
leaving the inhabitants without supplies for several days.
Between 1926 and 1940 the first road was built, taking on its
present form in the Fifties. From this time onwards, basic services
such as electrical power and telephone cables were installed.
In 1960 the school building was completed; before such time lessons
were given in private houses or at the Town Hall.
Villasimius’s economy was based on agriculture and animal
breeding. The farmers cultivated vines, grain and especially almonds.
The extraction and working of granite also had a very important
role in the economic and social life of the village, as can still
be observed clearly today at the Usai Quarry.
Fishing has never been the principal activity of Villasimius’s
citizens. Even now, it is practised by few families; in contrast,
increasing numbers of people devote themselves to fishing, sea
excursions and sailing as hobbies, always with great regard for
the environment. Since the 1960s, thanks to its picuturesque countryside
and an ever-growing tourist industry, Villasimius has been popularly
considered one of the most beautiful places in Sardinia, though
it also has a lot more to offer…
 INDIETRO
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