Crossed by the river Mannu, Samassi is one of the most productive agricultural areas of the Medio Campidano thanks to the fertility of its land. Samassi is a town of 5,000 inhabitants that, since its very origins (with evidence dating back to the year 119), has been dedicated to the cultivation of grains, vines, fruit, vegetables and, above all, violet artichokes. Ever since 1987, the artichoke festival has taken place each December, along with an agricultural-food fair and market, during which you can taste local gastronomic specialties. Throughout the event, the traditional Campidanese houses are opened, originally belonging to peasant families, built in Ladiri (mud bricks). On a hill in the historic centre stands a jewel in Romanesque architecture, the quaint Chiesa di San Geminiano, arising on the site of a Byzantine building of the 10th century, with some of its marble pilasters reused in the Romanesque layout. It was likely then rebuilt in the 13th century in vulcanite from the Serrenti quarries. Santu Millanu is celebrated in mid-September with the Sa Festa Manna, being the most heartfelt and once the only feast day of the agrarian calendar.