Viddalba

Viddalba is an agricultural center in northern Sardinia, on the border between Gallura and Anglona and ten minutes from the Gulf of Asinara. The settlement arose in the Middle Ages, developing in an area called Vidda Ecchja, but its name appears for the first time as Villa Alba (white village).
According to local tales, the hamlets (Giagazzu, Giùncana, L’Avru, Li Reni and Tungoni) around the main center were the scene of the raids of the ‘Mute of Gallura’, a deaf-mute bandit from the late 19th century who left his mark on local history. Its language and traditions are Gallurese, and it is a year-round destination for windsurfing, sailing and kitesurfing. Originally the village’s main resource was livestock farming, today it is tourism, agriculture, particularly the cultivation of watermelons, potatoes, tomatoes and, above all, ‘spiny’ artichokes, crafts, especially textile work, wrought iron and stone.
There are numerous activities to enjoy such as trekking, horseback riding through the rural roads and stazzi, but also paragliding and climbing via twenty bolted routes. A few minutes from the village, on one bank of the river, are the Casteldoria thermal baths with their waters that flow at over 70 degrees with healing properties. The Viddalba stretch of the Coghinas River flows through pine and eucalyptus forests, rich in eels, carp, sea bass, tench and populated by herons, coots and moorhens.
It’s a venue for sport fishing and a destination for kayaking and birdwatching. Festivals and fairs are accompanied by traditional rhythms and costumes, offering opportunities to taste Gallurese soup, meats, cheeses, and wines; among the events, the Gallurese wedding stands out, featuring poetic competitions, horse parades, songs, and dances.