Museums

What to do in Cagliari - interesting places to visit in Cagliari are the Museums. Castello the historic centre of Cagliari houses the most important artistic treasures of the city, in two museum sites: “La Cittadella dei Musei” and “Palazzo Belgrano". Both museums are near Palazzo De Candia, only 5 minutes walk away.

The Cittadella dei Musei in Piazza Arsenale, is home to four separate collections.

1. The National Archaeological Museum – conserves archaeological items recovered from Archaeological digs throughout Sardinia and it is very important for the understanding of Sardinian civilisation from 6,000 b.C to the end if the High Middle Ages. The succession of the island’s ancient cultures is reconstructed through the exhibition of ceramics and statuettes dating before the nuragic civilization, copper ingots, bronze and ceramics from the nuragic civilization, inscriptions, Phoenician tomb furnishing and ceramics, inscribed headstones (one of the world’s most important collections), and splendid Punic jewellery. It is also very interesting visiting the collection of ceramics, terra-cotta, glass objects, statues, Roman sarcophagi and gold jewellery dating from the High Medieval period, as well as the collection of artefacts from the Tuvixeddu and Pula necropolises (objects produced by the Phoenicians, or imported from Greece, Italy and Spain).
2. The National Art Gallery – "Pinacoteca Nazionale", this museum contains a small section of contemporary art and sculpture as well as oils, coats-of-arms, preserve mainly sacred art works (interior decoration objects and paintings), coming from different Sardinian churches in particular from the one of Saint Francesco in Stampace, works of the Catalan artists of ‘400 and the Sardinian school of the ‘500. The altar pieces are the most interesting part of the collection. They show the background history of the best Sardinian painting beginning with the initial Catalan-Valencian influence through the local Cavaro atelier and the related “Stampace School”.
3. Siamese Museum – a rich collection of about 1300 artistic and ethnologic handcrafts from different Asiatic cultures, this collection includes Asian coins, ivories, silver, porcelains and weapons dating from the 11th to 19th centuries.
4. Anatomical Wax Collection – Composed of 23 anatomic models produced between 1803 and 1805 for didactic utilities by the famous Florentine wax model maker Clemente Susini. The scientific accuracy of all preparations represents an example of truly extraordinary quality, and constitute an outstanding masterpiece of figurative art.

In Palazzo Belgrano – in Via Università are:

• The Print Gallery – This collection includes series of 19th century photomechanical reproductions and etching by 20th century Sardinian artists.
• The Piloni Collection – Along with paintings, prints and etchings of views of Cagliari and Sardinia, the collection includes examples of the island’s rich tradition in tapestry weaving and rug making.

For ticket prices and opening time , please read the itineraries suggestiong page.