The story of Sa Mandra was born from the courage of Rita Pirisi and Mario Murrocu, a couple from Fonni who in the 1980s decided to give shape to a dream. Before them stood a simple stable, in Sardinian “sa mandra”, the place where sheep gather for milking.
Within them was the will to build a new life made of work, identity and hospitality. Over time, what seemed like an impossible gamble became a recognized reference point throughout Europe.
In July 1984, Rita and Mario arrived in Alghero for a short vacation. It was the first time they saw those lands of Nurra and for them it was love at first sight. They had no money saved and the banks did not believe in their project. Yet they decided to sell everything and move with their three children to an old farm then inhabited by an elderly couple.
The first years were not easy. There was a new trade to learn, adaptation to a different territory and building everything practically from scratch. The support of families, especially women, true pillars of pastoral traditions, helped overcome the most difficult days.
In 1989, a severe drought hit the area and forced them to completely rethink their activity. Rita began bringing ricotta and honey to the city shops, rediscovering and enhancing a typical product of Barbagia. Meanwhile, at Sa Mandra, Mario worked tirelessly. He built dry stone walls, moved stones, created new spaces and expanded the small dining room that initially had only ten place settings.
It was an intense period, made of sacrifices and insights. From those first steps was born the foundation of everything that Sa Mandra represents today.
Over the years, Sa Mandra became a place capable of telling the Barbaricino culture with sincerity and respect. Family recipes, cheese production, pinnette, ancient instruments of pastoral life and a collection of over a thousand objects transformed the structure into a widespread museum.
Tradition and modernity coexist without forcing. Every detail is designed to preserve Sardinian identity and transmit it to guests in an authentic way.
The strength of Sa Mandra comes from the commitment of the entire family. Maria Grazia, who graduated in Law and has internship experience, after a period of studies that also took her abroad, chose to return to Alghero to contribute to the development of the company.
Michele, who spends part of the year in Norway training racehorses, leads the Tre Stelle Sa Mandra equestrian tourism center. Giuseppe is a cornerstone in agricultural management and continuous training, an essential element for the company’s evolution.
Today the third generation also participates actively, a sign of a project that continues to grow without losing contact with its roots.
Rita and Mario’s journey is made of resilience, faith and dignity of work. Their philosophy is simple: tell without showing off, work every day with humility and always remember where you started from. It is this spirit that can still be felt at Sa Mandra today and that makes this place a great house open to the world.
Today Sa Mandra is much more than an agritourism. It is an educational farm, an open-air museum, a cultural center that welcomes travelers from all over the world. It is a place that unites ancient traditions and contemporary vision, a family project that continues to evolve without losing its authenticity.
