This small and charming village, nestled in the Marmilla hills, has become famous thanks to the presence of the "Genna Maria" nuraghe. The complex, excavated since 1969, has returned among the huts of his village, rich outfits that have helped to shed light on the daily life and productive activities of the nuraghic peoples, such as the remains of food, including the vine, which attest an ancient cultivation and the bones of deer, confirming what in the past this territory was thriving. The nuraghe is located on the top of an incredible panoramic point, from which there are 53 countries, the volcanic Giare, the Gennargentu massif, the entire Campidano plain, the Gulf of Oristano and that of Cagliari. The finds found during the excavations are exhibited in the Archaeological Museum of Villanovaforru, an elegant building from the mid-19th century, which was originally a "Monte di Soccorso", or the grain bank to which the farmers asked for cereals for sowing. The windows of the first floor house the various objects found in the village, mainly ceramics with disparate shapes and types, while the second floor is divided into several rooms: the Marmilla room, contains findings from various sites of the territory, including the nuraghe " Brunku Madugui "of Gesturi, the tomb of the giants" Sa dom'e s'Orku of Siddi and that of "Su Quaddu de Nixias" of Lunamatrona; the Punic - Roman room shows the entire votive collection found inside the nuraghe of "Genna Maria", when at the time, the central tower and the courtyard, were used as a place of worship in honor of the goddess Demeter; the early medieval hall, testifies the living continuity of some ancient sites.
For those who visit Villanovaforru, it is a must to visit the workshop of the "last nuragica", Roberta Cabiddu, the ceramist who reproduces with the same techniques and tools, the nuraghic and prenuragic vasellami. Not far from town, there is the Museum of the Territory, where there are many interesting exhibitions and in which periodically high-level temporary exhibitions are exhibited.
