Travel guide

Iglesias
Iglesias (28,170 inhabitants) has ancient origins, as testified by the Byzantine
church of San Salvatore. However, its urban plan dates to the XIII century,
when the Pisan lords supplied it with an imposing surrounding wall, of which
long stretches remain preserved. In the historical centre, which features some
surviving Liberty and Art Deco mansions, the Gothic cathedral of Santa Chiara
is located. This was founded in 1285 and completed in 1288, as evinced by
On the left:
Il Pan di zucchero
(The Sugar Loaf)
at Buggerru
On the right:
Mines in Masua
inscriptions therein. Notable is also the church of San Francesco, which
houses the retable of a Cagliaritan workshop of the second half of the XVI
century. The throbbing heart of the modern town is Piazza Sella, with the
Monument to Quintino Sella by Giuseppe Sartorio (1885), and the adjacent
Piazza Oberdan, with the Monumento ai Caduti (War Memorial) by Francesco
Ciusa (1928). Not far away is the Museum of Mining Art, where the
remnants and tools that made history in the mines of the Iglesiente are
exhibited: original machines, plastic models and ancient photographs. Inside is
also a real tunnel that can be visited. Upon leaving town are the red hills
formed by the build-up of residues from the working of the iron ore
processes in the metal-bearing complex of Monteponi, one of the major
plants of Sulcis-Iglesiente. The secular mining activity, which made it one of
the most important Italian centres for the processing of zinc and lead ores, is
documented by the significance of the plants and by the sheer volume of
their dumping grounds. Not to be missed is the fresco painting titled La
miniera (The Mine: 1950) by Aligi Sassu (housed in the guest quarters), and
the abandoned mining villages of Sa Macchina Beccia and Seddas Moddizzis.
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