Places to visit in the territory of Iglesias

The territory of Iglesias is characterized by a massive presence of dismissed mineral sites, monuments of industrial archaeology beyond an identical representation of the 1800 and 1900 society. The mine of Monteponi (lead, zinc and silver) has been one of the most important in Italy and the main one in Sardinia. Phoenician and Punic population guessed the mineral veins, while the Roman people were mostly interested to the lead for the water pipes. But the Pisan occupiers were the first to industrialize this territory. With the passing of the centuries numerous foundries were found for the treatment of the extracted minerals. It is worth visiting the little Bellavista mansion (accommodated from 1865 the offices of the direction, and it is today an university center), the wells of Quintino Sella and Vittorio Emanuele, the laundries that have succeeded in resisting through the years. Some buildings, among which the imposing one used for the metals electrolysis, have been restructured to be converted into receptive structures or conference centers. In 1985, also Pope John Paul II visited Monteponi mine, and with the miners from Iglesias, he went down the well P, at -200 meters, that it is slightly more than its total depth. In the close plateau of San Giorgio, you will find the homonym mine, where you could see Santa Barbara well (1870), which is similar to a medieval castle.

The mine of Masua deserves to be mentioned, because of its extractive activity that thanks to the Pisan people had a great impulse. At few kilometers there is the mining site of Nebida, used for silver, lead and zinc extractions. Beautiful is also the Lamarmora foundry (1897), built on the top of a reef, the ruins of which are under the Superintendence of the Cultural Heritage protection. In front of the mine mouth to Porto Flavia, there is the fascinating “Pan di Zucchero”: so-called in the 1700, because of its likeness with the famous "Pao de Azucar" in Rio de Janeiro (Brasile). The coast of Masua is characterized by charming steep cliffs on the sea and small beaches.

In the territory of Gonnesa, town found in 1714, we suggest you to visit the Seruci nuragic site, next to Nuraxi Figus fraction (famous also for an important mine). The site includes a nuragh and the rests of a village. Not far away you could admire a tomb of the giants. The mine of San Giovanni is among the best known in the zone: at its interior was discovered the evocative cove of Santa Barbara in the second half of the nineteenth century, and it has an estimated age of 500 million years. The ceiling reaches an height of 50 meters.

Domusnovas, medieval town is famous for the presence of the San Giovanni's cave, the only one in Europe to be crossed by an asphalted road: it is more than 800 meters long from one side to the other. The nuragic people, or actually the pre-historic civilizations, built up cyclopaedic wall at its entrance. We suggest you to take a walk into Oridda valley. This zone is rich in nuraghs ( the one called Domu ' and s' Orcu is very interesting ) and in tomb of giants. On the mounts dominating Domusnovas there are the ruins of the Matzanni sanctuary. Next to the temple, erected by the Punic people between the IV and the III century B.C., there is a nuragic village and three temples “at well” of the VII century B.C. Just outside Domusnovas, it is worth visiting the near Is Cannoneris wood. In the month of July, the town celebrates the traditional Festival of the Indian fig, wild fruit with which are made optimal jam and tasty liqueurs.