Villamassargia, S'Ortu Mannu Natural Monument Park

S'Ortu Mannu Natural Monument Park. Photo by Marta Cincotti, 2025, from Catalogo BBCC

The green area of S'Ortu Mannu is characterized as a historic monumental olive grove, with a current area of about 12—13 hectares. Its origin dates back to the Middle Ages, but with possible precedents already in Roman or even Punic times. According to some studies, the site preserves archaeological traces that suggest the existence of a Roman villa and an oil business. During the 12th and 13th centuries, olive growing was relaunched in the area under the impetus of Benedictine monks, who planted the first nucleus of the current olive grove. The interest in olive cultivation continued during the Pisan rule and, especially, during the Spanish one, when the population was encouraged to graft olive trees; each new graft guaranteed ownership of the plant to the right owner, even if the land was owned by another owner. Over time, this system has created a peculiar legal situation: the separation between the ownership of the tree and that of the soil. The site has been recognized as a natural monument by the Region of Sardinia. The area is home to more than seven hundred specimens of Olea europaea L., many of which are centuries-old, grafted between the 14th and 17th centuries on pre-existing olive trees. The trees, spaced regularly from each other, have massive, twisted and gnarled trunks, which sometimes reach circumferences greater than ten meters. Among them all, the specimen known as “Sa Reina”, the “queen” of the olive grove, the living symbol of the site, stands out: it has a trunk of about 16 meters in circumference and an estimated age of around 900 years, one of the most impressive olive trees in the entire Mediterranean basin. The complex is located at the foot of the hill on which stand the ruins of the medieval castle of Gioiosa Guardia (12th-13th centuries), which dominates the landscape and helps to make the site of extraordinary charm, where nature and history merge into a unicum. The spacious layout of the trees and the absence of undergrowth allow a clear and continuous perception of the sculptural forms of the trunks, enhancing the monumental character of the place. Today the olive grove retains not only an environmental and landscape value, but also an identity and community meaning, since olive trees continue to be cultivated and cared for, keeping alive a centuries-old tradition of oil production and collective enjoyment.

Aspects of interest
S'Ortu Mannu represents a unique example of a monumental Mediterranean olive grove, with more than 700 centuries-old specimens. The whole is distinguished by the exceptional scenographic value given by the monumental nature of the centuries-old olive trees, arranged in a unitary space that gives the complex the appearance of an open-air museum. The twisted shapes of the trunks, with cavities and natural openings, take on a sculptural character and give the environment a strong plastic and expressive component. The regular repetition of the examples generates a visual sequence that guides the eye in depth, creating rhythmic and suggestive perspectives. The width of the canopy, which stands out against the background of the Gioiosa Guardia hill, produces a contrast between the tree mass and the openness of the surrounding landscape, accentuating the link between nature and history. The impressive olive tree called “Sa Reina” has a trunk of about 16 meters in circumference, an estimated age of around 900 years, and is established as one of the most impressive olive trees in the entire Mediterranean basin.