Located about an hour’s drive from Cagliari, the regional capital of Sardinia, along the costal road that provides breathtaking views of the natural landscape with its white beaches and sheer rock faces above a turquoise sea. The town of Villasimius, which was founded in 1812 near the ancient settlement of Carbonara is embedded in a beautiful costal area that is surrounded by a multitude of isolated beaches all within a few kilometres. It is these beaches with crystal clear waters that have made Villasimius the most important tourist centre on the south coast of Sardinia. Not forgetting also the tourist harbour behind the promontory of Cape Carbonara. By virtue of its fortunate natural shape, Villasimius has been able to boast, since 1998, of the Protected Marine Area of Cape Cabonara, a precious and uncontaminated marine ecosystem. Furthermore, Lake Notteri, which is inhabited by some interesting birdlife, offers some splendid scenery. Among the cultural attractions of Villasimius, Fortezza Vecchia, located on a sheer headland above the sea close to Cape Carbonara, really merits a visit. It is a fortress complex built in about the XIV century, renovated by Philip II in the 1500s as part of a massive fortification programme of the coastline aimed at the defence against Turkish-Barbaresque landings. The tower of Porto Giunco, built in the XVI century from blocks of local granite, is accessible from the beach following a path either on foot or on horseback, otherwise by car from Cape Carbonara. Other notable sites worth visiting are the lighthouse of Isola dei Cavoli, built in the second half of the 1800s, and the tower of San Luigi on Isola di Serpentara. Both islands are reachable only by boat from the tourist harbour. The old economy of Villasimius was based on mining which revolved around Cava Usai, an open air mine active from the second half of the 1800s to the 1950s. Today nearby the ruins of the abandoned mine, Cava Usai provides a splendid shingle beach drenched by a turquoise sea. In addition to the wonders of the coast, Villasimius is also renowned for the deep rooted traditions of its people.