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Villacidro has a town centre that preserves a lot of his old charm.
A symbolic monument is the public wash-house, built in 1893, in liberty style. From here, going on your way through a suggestive alley, you can arrive at the foot of the Bishop's Palace: it was built on the ruins of the Baronial fortress owned by the Brondo family. Undoubtedly, also the nearby Cadoni's Mill is worthy to be seen: nowadays it houses the Paese d'ombre Museum.
Not far away, one can find the town’s two main squares: piazza Santa Barbara and piazza Zampillo. In the former, according to medieval planning, three churches face the square: the parish of saint Barbara, built between the XII and the XIV century, the church of Anime Purganti and the Oratory of Nostra Signora which, nowadays, houses the Museo d’Arte e Arredi Sacri.
In the adjacent square, piazza Zampillo, stands the ancient Montegranatico, where the Centro di Informazioni e Accoglienza Turistica (Tourist information Office), the Museo Civico Archeologico (The Civil Archeological Museum) Villa Leni and the Literary Café are located.
From the main squares, several small streets, still decorated with their original cobbles, lead to the highest areas of the town right up to the pine forest. Along the alleys one observes houses that have preserved their old architectural characteristics and where the main construction materials used in those times are visible: su ladiri (air-dried bricks) and the local stone.
Next to the main square, on a hill, the town hall rises, which is accessible via an impressive flight of steps. It is another important junction and crossroads: from here historical streets, like via Garibaldi and via Roma, branch off.
Via Roma, in particular, was in the past the street for promenades and shopping: it still preserves its charm. The refined buildings, with their remarkable architectural details, still testify the importance of this street. Along via Roma one can find the Farmamuseo Sa Potecaria, which tells the story of pharmaceutical art; next door there is Casa Todde (Todde House), and a little further down you can see the House of the writer Giuseppe Dessi's family.
The historical center is surrounded by an old pine forest where, plunged into the green, the small church of the “Vergine del Carmelo” resides.
