Sulcis Iglesiente

<< Sardinia

The Sulcis Iglesiente is a historical region in southeastern Sardinia, mostly mountainous and dotted with small towns. This area is known for its mining activities, but also features various seaside resorts and the popular islands of Sant’Antioco and San Pietro. The main cities in the region are Carbonia and Iglesias.

Carbonia

Carbonia is a city located in the historical region of Sulcis, and the capital of the Province of South Sardinia. While the area has been inhabited since ancient times, the city was only founded in 1937 as a mining center. The mining activity has since stopped, and Carbonia is still the main center in the region, but its population has been steadly decreasing.

Archaeological Museum of Villa Sulcis

The Archaeological Museum of Villa Sulcis (Museo Archeologico di Villa Sulcis) is an archaeological museum in Carbonia. The museum is dedicated to local history, and houses several exhibitions and archaeological findings unearthed around the city, mostly from the Phoenician, Carthaginian, and Roman age.

Coal Museum

The Coal Museum (Museo del Carbone) is a museum located in a former coal mine in Carbonia, known as Serbariu Mine (Miniera di Serbariu). The museum houses various exhibitions on the history of mining in the area, with several historic tools. The same complex also houses the Edouard Alfred Martel Museum of Sulcis Paleoenvironments (Museo dei Paleoambienti Sulcitani Edouard Alfred Martel), which is a museum of paleontology hosting several fossils.

Archaeological Park of Mount Sirai

The Archaeological Park of Mount Sirai (Parco Archeologico di Monte Sirai) is an archaeological site located on a hill near Carbonia. This area features various ancient structures, including buildings erected by the Nuragic civilization and a Phoenician town, and also a Carthaginian necropolis.

Gonnesa

Gonnesa is a town located between Carbonia and Iglesias in southwestern Sardinia. The town is known for its nearby beaches and some archaeological sites.

Nuraghe Seruci

The Nuraghe Seruci is a nuragic complex located near Gonnesa. The structure includes several buildings and was erected during the Bronze Age. This is one of the largest prehistoric villages in this region, and it can be visited.

Iglesias

Iglesias is a city in southwestern Sardinia, at the center of a region known as Iglesiente. Inhabited since prehistoric times, the town emerged in the Middle Ages, and became a flourishing mining center. The city lived another period of expansion between the 19th and 20th century thanks to its mining industry.

Salvaterra Castle

The Salvaterra Castle is a castle located on a hill overlooking Iglesias. Built during the 13th century, the castle was reworked a few times, and was renovated in Gothic Revival style in the 19th century. Now restored, it can be visited.

Iglesias Cathedral

Also known as: Cathedral of Santa Chiara (Cattedrale di Santa Chiara)

The Iglesias Cathedral is the main church of Iglesias, located in the center of the city. The church was built in the 13th century in Romanesque and Gothic style, and features an imposing bell tower. Inside the church are various decorations and artworks, including a large Baroque altar from the 18th century.

Church of San Francesco

The Church of San Francesco is a historic church in the center of Iglesias. The current structure was built over a previous church in the 16th century in Catalan Gothic style. The church houses some artworks and decorations.

Museum of Mining Art and Mineralogical Museum

The Museum of Mining Art and Mineralogical Museum (Museo dell’Arte Mineraria e Museo Mineralogico) is a museum in Iglesias dedicated to the long tradition of mining around the city. The mining museum hosts various exhibitions and historic equipment, while the minerary museum houses minerals and fossils from all over the world.

Monteponi Mine

The Monteponi Mine (Miniera di Monteponi) is a large historic mine located west of Iglesias. Used since the 17th century, this area was mostly developed between the 19th and 20th century, but was then closed. The abandoned complex can now be visited.

Porto Flavia

Porto Flavia is a peculiar sea harbor located on the coast near Iglesias. Built in the 1920s to serve the nearby mines thanks to a long tunnel, the port is located alongside the steep cliffs high above the water. After the mines were closed, it was turned into a tourist attraction.

Domusnovas

Domusnovas is a town located in the countryside east of Iglesias. The town is best known for a large nearby cave.

San Giovanni Cave

The San Giovanni Cave (Grotta di San Giovanni) is a large cave located on the mountains near Domusnovas. The cave is the only one in Italy to be crossed by a road, which is now closed to traffic. Nevertheless, the cave can be visited, and it is a popular tourist destination.

Fluminimaggiore

Fluminimaggiore is a small town located among the mountains north of Iglesias. Inhabited since ancient times, there are various archaeological ruins around the town.

Temple of Antas

The Temple of Antas (Tempio di Antas) is an ancient temple located near Fluminimaggiore. The archaeological site features some structures of the Nuragic civilization, while the temple was built by the Carthaginians around 500 BCE. The temple was later rebuilt by the Romans, and now various sections of the building still survive.

Sant’Antioco

Sant’Antioco is a town located on the eastern coast of the island of the same name, which is just off the southwestern coast of Sardinia. Sant’Antioco Island has been inhabited since prehistoric times, and has been an important site for millennia thanks to its strategic position. Now it is mainly a tourist destination.

Basilica of Sant’Antioco Martire

The Basilica of Sant’Antioco Martire is the main church of Sant’Antioco. Originally built in the 5th century, the church was later reworked several times. The building is located on top of a series of Roman catacombs from around the 2nd century.

Archaeological Area of Sulki

The Archaeological Area of Sulki (Area Archeologica di Sulki) houses the ruins of the ancient city of Sulki, which was once where Sant’Antioco now stands. Founded in pre-Nuragic times, the town was later inhabited by the Nuragic civilization, the Phoenicians, the Carthaginians, and the Romans, but it was abandoned in the Middle Ages. The ruins of the ancient town include various structures, including a necropolis and a tophet, a kind of Phoenician sanctuary.

Ferruccio Barreca Archaeological Museum

The Ferruccio Barreca Archaeological Museum (Museo Archeologico Ferruccio Barreca) is an archaeological museum in Sant’Antioco. The museum houses a series of archaeological findings unearthed around the town, dating between the Neolithic and the Roman age.

Carloforte

Carloforte is a town located on San Pietro Island, located just off the southwestern coast of Sardinia, north of Sant’Antioco. The town is on the eastern coast of the island and was founded in the 18th century.

San Pietro Island

San Pietro Island (Isola di San Pietro) has been a fishing center for a long time, but now it is a tourist destination known for its several beautiful beaches. One of the most famous attractions on the island is the rocky promontory of Cape Sandalo (Capo Sandalo), on the western coast, which offers a great view on the sea.

Tratalias

Tratalias is a tiny town located in the countryside south of Carbonia. Inhabited since ancient town, now it is best known for its historic church.

Church of Santa Maria di Monserrato

The Church of Santa Maria di Monserrato is an ancient church located in the old town of Tratalias. The church was built in Pisan Romanesque style during the 13th century, and it includes a simple interior and typical medieval decorations.

Villaperuccio

Villaperuccio is tiny town located in the countryside of Sulcis. The area has been inhabited since prehistoric times, and the town is best known for a nearby ancient necropolis.

Montessu Necropolis

The Montessu Necropolis (Necropoli di Montessu) is a prehistoric necropolis located near Villaperuccio. The site has been used between the 4th and 2nd millennium BCE, in the pre-Nuragic era, and features a large series of tombs, some of which are decorated.

Santadi

Santadi is a small town located southeast of Carbonia. This area was first settled in prehistoric times, and the territory around the town features some ancient ruins and a cave system.

Is Zuddas Caves

The Is Zuddas Caves (Grotte di Is Zuddas) are a cave system located south of Santadi. Found in 1971, the caves were later turned into a tourist attraction, and are known for hosting numerous peculiar rock formations.

Sant’Anna Arresi

Sant’Anna Arresi is a small town located at the foot of the mountains of Sulcis, best known for the nearby beaches.

Porto Pino

Porto Pino is a seaside resort located on the coast near Sant’Anna Arresi. Known for its large sandy beach, Porto Pino is often visited by locals and tourists in summer, and it is one of the most famous destinations along this coast.