The name, the ‘Valley of Willows’, seems to suggest that the area was once rich in willows, which is not the case today. Beyond the origins of the name, Badde Salighes is a pearl of the Sardinian forest heritage. This enchanting locality in the Marghine sub-region is reached by veering off the State Highway 131 at the 155 km mark to take the Provincial Road 17 in the direction of Bolotana. Along this road, you reach the destination 20 kilometres before the village. The history of the forest’s park and many of its arboreal species is linked to the Welsh engineer Benjamin Piercy (1827-1888), creator and executor of Sardinia’s railway network and agricultural entrepreneur who created the area between 1880 and 1888. Between the two plateaus of Campeda and Marghine is one of the largest and most modern farms on the island, on the Padrumannu estate.

Badde Salighes is a historic location of great fascination that recalls the echoes of the British engineer’s pioneering development - around the avant-garde company, arose a small and modern (at the time) village that was practically autonomous. The Villa Piercy was built in English style between 1879 and 1882, resembling both a medieval castle and an English cottage.