Iglesias Old Town
DISCOVER THE HISTORICAL CENTER OF IGLESIAS WITH OUR GUIDES Starting point: Iglesias Tourism Office, Piazza Municipio, 1, 09016 Iglesias SU Duration: 1 hour Explore the historical center of Iglesias on foot with our tour guides. Iglesias represents the testimony of a glorious past, that of a city formerly known as the Villa di Chiesa. Take a stroll through the streets of the historical center and admire the wonders of the city: from the churches to the Pisan walls; from the museums to the grand squares, gathering places for citizens and tourists. Let yourself be carried away by our guides who will tell you the history of the city, its main attractions, and some anecdotes about the daily life of the ancient Villa di Chiesa. The Historical Center Tour can be combined with the Civic Museums tour, which includes a visit to the Mining Art Museum and the Mineralogy Museum.
Bishop’s palace
Palazzo Vescovile (Bishop’s Palace) overlooks Piazza Municipio and is connected by a gallery to the Cathedral of Santa Chiara. The first design for the episcopal palace was drawn up in 1763 by the Piedmontese military engineer Saverio Belgrano, among the first to spread in the island the architectural innovations with which the architects of the Savoia managed to give a more sober interpretation to the Baroque style. Belgrano’s design was followed by three other projects. When the church of Santa Chiara obtained Cathedral status in 1503, the palace became the Episcopal residence and the bishop moved to Iglesias.
Town Hall
The building is located in the heart of the historic center, in a central position with respect to the original perimeter of the medieval walls. It was built by the Vincenzo Sulcis company, between 1871 and 1872 based on the design by the civic engineer Antonio Cao Pinna. This architectural feature goes back to one of the moments of maximum growth of the city, supported by the increase in mining activity. The council chamber is particularly interesting, with decorative interventions carried out in the 1920s by Francesco Ciusa, a famous Sardinian sculptor, and Remo Branca, an illustrator and painter.
Piazza Lamarmora
Piazza Lamarmora represents the intersection point of different roads and streets of the historic center and has always been the most important meeting point for the citizens of Iglesias. The square is characterized by the fountain called “Su Maimoni”, a recent reconstruction that replicates an ancient public fountain that stood in the square until 1872, then demolished for traffic reasons.
Piazza Sella and Piazza Oberdan
Piazza Sella, with its benches and huge flowerbeds surrounding centuries-old trees, plays a central role both socially as a meeting point and for the traffic in Cagliari. The first urban development of the square extended from 1841 to 1885, with progressive enlargements between 1909 and 1914 that defined its square plan. In the center of the square stands the monument to Quintino Sella, one of the most well-known symbols of the city. In 1871, the Municipality of Iglesias conferred honorary citizenship on Quintino Sella. After his death, a promotional committee for a commemorative monument was set up in the city. The monument, a work by the sculptor Giuseppe Sartorio, was erected on June 7, 1885, and moved around 1909 to the center of the square. Next to Piazza Sella, Piazza Oberdan houses one of the most beautiful War Memorials in Sardinia, a work by the illustrious Sardinian sculptor of the time, Francesco Ciusa. The work was commissioned by a local committee and inaugurated in 1929. The monument is dedicated to war, not as a glorious enterprise, but as a sacrifice. This interpretation of the artist was not accepted by the committee, who imposed on him to modify the work by adding a “winged Victory”. Ciusa did not approve of this decision and, after making the modification, morally refused to claim authorship of the work.
The ancient walls and the Guelfa tower
The ancient walls of Iglesias are the ruins of medieval fortifications surrounding the current historic center of the city. In the past, the walls were interspersed with 23 towers and 4 gateways: Porta Maestra to the south, Porta Castello to the southeast, Porta Sant’Antonio to the north, and Porta Nuova to the west; the gateways to the ancient city. Built with mixed stone, the walls, approximately 7 meters high, have been repeatedly renovated by the peoples who have succeeded each other in the city, first the Pisans and Aragonese and then the Arborenses. Despite the expansion of urban development incorporating several stretches into private homes, part of the walls remains well preserved and maintains the massive characteristic of medieval military fortifications. Along a unique wall path in Sardinia, stands out the Torre Guelfa, located at the highest point overlooking the entire city and the surrounding territory. The ancient walls and the Torre Guelfa are visitable independently.
Salvaterra Castle
The castle of Salvaterra, known in the past as the castle of San Guantino, was built in the medieval period, after 1258, probably by the will of Count Ugolino Della Gherardesca. Built on the Salvaterra hill, from which it takes its name, at the time it had a strategic position that allowed it to oversee the city and communicate with the other castles in the territories of the Republic of Pisa: the Castle of Villamassargia, the Castle of Acquafredda di Siliqua and the castles of San Michele Castro in Cagliari. At the end of the 19th century, it completely lost its military function and was joined to a neo-gothic villa and a glassworks, both designed by engineer Edoardo Sanna. Today, the castle offers a splendid view of the city, hosts several events, but above all, it hosts the permanent exhibition of Storia Medievale e Torture (Medieval History and Torture). The exhibition includes weapons, armor, war machines, and torture devices used in the Inquisition trials. INFORMATION Address: Via Monte Altari, 09016 Iglesias CI Telephone: +39 351 97835669
Monumental Cemetery
The Monumental Cemetery of Iglesias, inaugurated on August 20, 1835, was built near the Church of Beata Vergine Maria di Valverde, outside the city walls. Due to the progressive increase in the population, it was found to be insufficient and was subsequently expanded several times starting from 1850. Thanks also to the contribution of the most important artists of the time, it soon became a real showcase of works of art, almost like an “open-air museum.” The monumental complex consists of a rather large central part, surrounded by imposing walls, adorned with cypress avenues and Mediterranean essences. Carefully maintained and frequented regularly by the population, linked to the memory of their loved ones, it is one of the main monumental emergencies of the city. The cemetery is famous, in particular, for the sculptures of Giuseppe Sartorio (1854-1922), a prestigious artist who initially gained fame for being commissioned by the Piedmontese leaders of the Iglesias mines to erect some statues in the city. Sartorio’s skill and splendid creations immediately contributed to his fame, transforming him into one of the most well-known and appreciated artists in all of Sardinia, where he established two workshops, one in Cagliari and the other in Sassari. In the cemetery of Iglesias are present 65 works of his sculpture.
Cloister of San Francesco
The church and convent of San Francesco are among the most interesting and precious testimonies left by the Frati Minori Conventuali (Order of Friars Minor Conventuals) in Sardinia. The cloister was an open space surrounded by four sides of porticos. The convent incorporates several wings developed on the model of open loggias on the ground floor, arranged around a green area that was accessed by large round arches in pink trachyte. Unfortunately, the lack of documentary sources and the damage suffered during the 1940s (when it was used as an air-raid shelter) do not allow us to assert whether the cloister we see today is the original one. Currently, as a result of restoration work, a part of the original complex has been recovered.
Asproni Mining Institute
The Istituto Minerario “Giorgio Asproni” (Giorgio Asproni Mining Institute) was established in 1871 by the will of Minister Quintino Sella, a statesman who gave a strong boost to the mining activities in the Iglesias area at that time. The deputy believed it was necessary to provide the city, which was then at the peak of its mining activity, with a school that would train miners and foreman for the mines. The Institute, whose classrooms and laboratories still miraculously retain the atmosphere of the late nineteenth century, has carried out a glorious teaching activity to this day, graduating experts who have worked in deposits all over the world. Today, the historic building only houses part of the Institute’s teaching activities and is open to visitors who can admire its rich mining collection. The basement of the building houses the Museo dell’Istituto Minerario (Mining Institute Museum).
