Iglesias is a pleasant and peaceful town, its historic center is rich in attractions related to its history.
Not everyone knows that the history of Iglesias is intertwined with that of Count Ugolino della Gherardesca, a historical figure and character in Dante’s Divina Commedia. The territory was assigned to the count in the second half of the 1200s and, thanks to his noble family, numerous buildings, both religious and secular, were built that still dominate the city today. These include the Salvaterra Castle, the Cathedral of Santa Chiara, and the Church of Beata Vergine Maria di Valverde.
Visiting Iglesias means coming across the medieval walls, built by the Pisans between the 13th and 14th centuries.
The ancient walls run along the historic center, including the Castle, Fountain, Saint Clare, and Mezo neighborhoods. The best-preserved part is the northern one.
Inside the walls, the historic center extends, the scene of lively city life: Piazza Lamarmora, dominated by the statue of Maimone, a Phoenician deity, probably linked to the cult of water, from there along Via Sarcidano and Vico Duomo, you reach Piazza del Municipio.
Here stand the impressive monuments of the City Palace and the Cathedral of Santa Chiara united by a gallery to the Bishop’s Palace, the result of various renovations carried out between 1763 and 1782. Continuing on Via della Decima, you arrive at Via Angioy, where the old prisons stand, now the Municipal Historical Archive and the custody place of the ancient city statute.
Continuing the walk, you cross Via Lamarmora, a lively commercial street filled with Liberty-style buildings, proof of the economic prosperity that characterized the city in the early 1900s.
Just outside the walls is Piazza Sella, considered by all Iglesients to be the focal spot of the city, the magnificent Istituto Minerario (Mining Institute), and the suggestive Monumental Cemetery.
