Pabillonis is a town and comune (municipality) in the Province of Medio Campidano in the autonomous island region of Sardinia in Italy, about northwest of Cagliari and about west of Sanluri. It has 2,404 inhabitants.
Pabillonis borders the municipalities of Gonnosfanadiga, Guspini, Mogoro, San Gavino Monreale, San Nicolò d'Arcidano, and Sardara.
Etymology The origin of the name derives from the Latin "Papilio-ionis" meaning Roman military camps set up on site (in English they are the so-called "pavilions"). In Sardinian the term has evolved into "Pabillone", "Papigione", "Papidzone" or "Pabunzone" to indicate a woodshed and, in some cases, even shelter for animals. This term, however, is widespread in the center-north of Sardinia, while it is not reflected in the local dialect of Pabillonis as to define the shelter of animals is used "Coratzu" and "Sa domu de sa linna" is the generic definition of the place where it was acatastated firewood. In the 1388 documents establishing the peace between Aragon and Arborea, the village is named as "Paviglionis", "Pavigionis" and "Panigionis".
History
The first evidence of man in the territories of Pabillonis date back to the Neolithic period (6th – 3rd millennium BC), in fact it is often possible to find fragments of worked obsidian. The massive presence of these findings suggest the presence of numerous villages at the water springs and rivers. No trace of typical Neolithic monuments has yet been found. However, it is probable that man lived in these areas even in the Eneolithic. The nuragic civilization has left as testimony the nuraghe "Surbiu" (completely destroyed), the nuraghe Santu Sciori, "Nuraxi Fenu" and the nuraghe "Domu'e Campu".
Originally the village stood a couple of kilometers from the current location, the ruins are located near the rural church of San Lussorio, near the banks of the Flumini Mannu (more formerly Ptolemy refers to "Rivus Sacer" "sacred" or "Hierus")Storia di Sardegna del barone Giuseppe Manno, ed. 1835 where the waters of the Rio Piras and Riu Bruncu Fenugu meet. The homonymous nuraghe (Santu Sciori) and a Roman bridge (still standing) called Su ponti de sa baronessa testify to the ancient origins of the village. During the Middle Ages it belonged to the giudicato of Arborea and more precisely to the curatorial office of Bonorzuli, the ancient centre was destroyed by the Saracens and rebuilt in its current position. At the fall of the judiciary (1420) it became part of the marquisate of Oristano, and from 1478, at its final defeat, it passed under the Aragonese dominion. The Aragonese incorporated the town into the county of Quirra, which was transformed into a marquisate in 1603, together with the barony of Monreale. Also in the Aragonese period, the town was first a feud of the Carroz, then of the Centelles and finally of the Osorio de la Cueva, to whom it was redeemed in 1839 with the suppression of the feudal system. In 1584 it was sacked by the Moors and the town was abandoned, the historian Vittorio Angius wrote: "... the barbarians were led there by a Sardinian renegade, [...], except for the people saved by the escape, the others were massacred or taken in slavery".Storia delle invasioni degli Arabi e delle piraterie dei barbeschi in Sardegna, Pietro Martini ed. 1861
In 1934, during the fascist period, the reclamation of the marshes around the Flumini Mannu was carried out. On 5, 7, and 8 September 1943, the Pabillonis airfield in the Foddi region was bombed by a total of 112 P-40 planes from the 325th Allied Forces group. The fighter bombers dropped 20-pound bombs on the airfield and other targets. This was the last act of the war in Sardinia. A few hours later Badoglio officially announced Italy's exit from the conflict.
Geography It is located in the centre-north of the Campidano plain, more precisely north of the "Pranu Murdegu", near the confluence of two waterways called Flumini Mannu and Flumini Bellu. It is mainly an agricultural village.
The village develops around the church of San Giovanni, once a country church and chapel of an old cemetery on which currently stands a square.
Demographics
As of 2026, the population is 2,404, of which 51.0% are male, and 49.0% are female. Minors make up 10.3% of the population, and seniors make up 28.5%.
Languages and dialects The variant of Sardinian spoken in Pabillonis is the western campidanese.
Immigration As of 2025, immigrants make up 2.5% of the population. The 5 largest foreign countries of birth are Senegal, Romania, Germany, Hungary, and India.
Sights
Religious architectures
Beata Vergine della Neve The parish church of the Beata Vergine della Neve (Blessed Virgin of Snow) is the building with the most artistic vestiges. Built in the sixteenth century with a rectangular plan with three naves, the interior preserves frescoes. The simple façade is composed of a portal surrounded by pilasters. Inside the church there is a wooden tabernacle of the seventeenth century attributed to Giovanni Angelo Puxeddu.
San Giovanni Battista San Giovanni Battista (Saint John the Baptist) is the oldest of the churches of Pabillonis, dating from the twelfth century and was part of the old cemetery.Dizionario geografico, storico-statistico-commerciale degli stati di S.M. il re di Sardegna, ed. 1849
In Romanesque style, with a rectangular plan, a single nave and barrel vault, it has a bell tower with a double bell.
Archaeological Sites
Nuraghes Near the ancient and the present inhabited village there are the nuraghes of Santu Sciori and Nuraxi Fenu and according to what Vittorio Angius wrote: «Within the circumscription of this territory there are three nuraghi, one called Surbiu, a little less than a mile from the town and mostly undone; the other called Nuraxi-Fenu, almost a mile and a half away, and worthy of being considered and evenovered to 'larger known, which are the next in the territory of Guspini, the Saureci, the Fumìu and the Orco; the third named by the Church of San Lussorio, close to the river, is also worth a visit for its size. It was surrounded by another building and two nuraghetti of this one can still be seen in part. In one of which, at the beginning of the current century, a quadrilong urn of two and a half meters was discovered on the major side, and inside the same of the great bones (!!)».
Santu Sciori
The nuraghe Santu Sciori is located in the area of San Lussorio where the ancient ruins are located; it has a poly-lobed bastion and antemural towers, probably dating back to 1300 BC. (Middle Bronze Age). In the Middle Ages it was used as a burial area, this reuse is evidenced by the discovery in the nineteenth century of a cinerary urn inside the ruins of one of its towers. Currently part of the nuragic complex is under the church built in the 70s (the ruins of the ancient church are located a few tens of meters from the actual), would require archaeological excavations to reconstruct more accurately the history of that area since written evidence is rare.
Nuraghe Fenu
The Nuraxi Fenu is located about 3 km from the current town near the train station. Excavations begun in 1996 have brought to light many fragments of vases and also lanterns and some Roman coins that prove the attendance of the site in the imperial age. The remains of the nuraghe, which extend for about 2,000 square meters, belong to a large poly-lobed complex (among the largest in Sardinia) dating back to the Middle Bronze (1300 BC). Vittorio Angius, speaking of San Gavino says: "It can therefore be kept that within the limits of the territory of San Gavino arose in older times more than sixteen nuraghes, and that some of 'same were as big as what you see still in the vicinity of Pabillonis, which is one of' more colossal island ...". When Angius wrote these words, the nuragic palace of Barumini had not yet been excavated. The stratigraphy has highlighted the abandonment of the nuraghe already in ancient times due to a fire and a collapse. It was then re-frequented by Punic people and later by the Romans. The oldest layer of settlements has not yet been excavated. The finds are currently kept in the archaeological museum of Sardara.
Other nuragic monuments
To these two nuraghi, just mentioned, must also be added three others of which no trace remains or almost remains:
Nuraghe Dom'e Campu, was located in the area of Dom'e Campu, very close to the current industrial area PIP. It is assumed that around the nuraghe there was a large settlement given the many discoveries made. Nuraghe De Sa Fronta, no longer existing, its remains were used as large pens for livestock. It was located very close to the road leading to the railway station. Nuraghe Surbiu, some stones and a little more along the road Montangesa, in memory of a site that according to local records was used later as a furnace. Beyond these, about 900 meters in the NE direction from the Nurage De Sa Fronta there are the remains of the Giants' grave S'Ena and Zimini.
Archaeological Park On 4 December 2018, the municipality of Pabillonis informed all citizens of the effective establishment of the Pabillonis Archaeological Park, with the intention of enhancing and promoting all local archaeological sites.
Casa Museo The Casa Museo is located in the heart of the historic centre of Pabillon. It is an old two-storey house made of unfired earth, finely restored and furnished with antique objects. Belonged to the Cherchi family, it was then donated by the same family to the municipality that gave it this new cultural and historical purpose. It is currently used to host exhibitions and cultural events at various times of the year. It also houses the traditional clothes of Pabillonis.
Culture
Traditions and folklore Of great importance are the religious celebrations that also take on a folkloric imprint. Below is a list of the most common festivals and events in Pabillonis.
Festivities
16 January: Saint Anthony Abbot, also called Saint Antoni 'e su fogu. It is a night party, based on the lighting of a large bonfire (in Sardinian Su fogadoni); 13 May: Madonna di Fátima; 24 June: Saint John the Baptist, the nativity of Saint John the Baptist is celebrated; 5 August: Blessed Virgin of the Snow, patronal feast; 18 August: San Lussorio, takes place in the homonymous country church; 29 August: Saint John the Baptist remembers the death of Saint John the Baptist with the preparation of Is carrus de s'àlinu (àbiu), ox-drawn chariots and tractors decorated with alder branches; 31 December: Su trigu cotu (cooked wheat), an ancient custom: you pass through the houses distributing cooked wheat as a wish for a good omen for the new year.
Arts
The terracotta still produced in Pabillonis, nicknamed Sa bidda de is pingiadas (the town of pans), is very famous, as are the handcrafted wicker, wood and reed products, which are exhibited annually in August in dedicated handcrafted exhibitions. Equally famous are the raw earth bricks (a mixture of mud and straw) called Ladins that still characterize the architectural aspect of the country and that are trying to enhance through the preservation and restoration of existing homes.
Since ancient times, Pabillonis has been known above all in the poorest areas of Sardinia as sa bidda de is pingiadas (the land of pans).
This fame derives from the quality of the terracotta products, which were marketed throughout the island. At the beginning of the nineteenth century (a period of which we have a lot of documentation), life in Pabillonis was quite active: the main activities were agriculture, trade in livestock, basketwork and those related to terracotta. The raw materials for these productions were available directly in the marshlands of Pabillonis. This is where the importance of master potters, tile makers and brick makers originated.
Tiles makers