Nurachi is located in the center of Sardinia, on the western side of the island. It is part of the Province of Oristano, from whose capital city it is a few kilometers away. The elevation above sea level is about 7 meters. The current population is about 1,700. Its territory extends into the Sinis Peninsula, encompassing the wetlands adjacent to the Cabras pond.
The economy is predominantly agricultural. Notable is the fruit and vegetable production. The production of vernaccia, a highly prized white wine that is produced only in the lower Tirso valley, deserves special mention. The presence of the nearby Cabras pond provides employment for fishermen, who work in cooperation with those from Cabras, while handicrafts have seen considerable development in recent decades, thanks in part to an extensive Plan for Productive Settlements located on the edge of town.
Nurachi has a strong tourist attitude due to the beauty of the surrounding environment, proximity to the sea and local traditions. The town has an ancient history of which numerous traces remain. Of particular interest is the typology of the typical Campidanese house, built with unfired earth bricks called “ladiri” or “ladrini.”
The area of Mare ‘e Pauli, adjacent to the Cabras Pond, has been included in the Ramsar Convention as a wetland to be safeguarded because of the typicality of the circumlagunar territory. The wetlands produce distinctive marsh vegetation, the Fragmiteto or Reed Thicket, the Limonieto, the Giuncheto, and other species such as the Giunco, Salicornia and Cressa. Of particular interest is the avifauna: pink flamingos, Black-winged Stilts, Avocets, Partridges, Golden Plovers, Combatants, Roseate Gulls, Sea Swallows, Yellow-billed Woodcocks, Common Terns, Little Fratelli and Little Bitterns, Little Bitterns.
Nurachi’s traditions are especially concentrated in the Easter season, with the characteristic rites of Holy Week. The woven palms, prepared by expert weavers, constitute stupendous artistic constructions. Of particular interest are the religious rituals that last from Holy Thursday to Easter Sunday, with the lavabo ceremony, the Stations of the Cross along the village streets, the traditional ceremony of “Su scravamentu,” the procession of the Dead Christ, and the ceremony of “s’incontru.” Also noteworthy are the festivities of the patron saint, St. John the Baptist, St. Lucy and St. Augustine, the latter of which is particularly heartfelt in Nurachi and closely linked to the affairs of the Church of S. Giovanni di Sinis, long disputed between the parishes of Nurachi and Cabras.
