Extending along the edge of the fertile plain of the lower Coghinas, Viddalba is a town with 1,700 inhabitants where the Gallura language and traditions are kept alive. In western Gallura bordering the Anglona, just south of Badesi and a short distance from the beautiful beaches of the Gulf of Asinara, it is the perfect destination all year round for sailing, windsurfing and kitesurfing. The village was built in the Middle Ages, rising up in the area called Vidda Ecchja. Its name appears for the first time as Villa Alba (‘white town’), in the condaghes of San Pietro di Silki and San Michele di Salvennor (11th-13th century). According to folklore, the hamlets around the main town were the raided by the ‘Muto di Gallura’, a deaf-mute bandit in the late-19th century who marked local history. Originally, the area relied on animal farming. Today, the local economy is based on tourism, agriculture and particularly the cultivation of watermelons, potatoes, tomatoes and - above all – ‘spiny’ artichokes, flanked by handicrafts, especially processing fabrics, wrought iron and stone.