The city of Iglesias is an ancient medieval town, so its history is strictly connected with the History of Italy and the Mediterranean Sea. Not everyone knows that Iglesias has been founded by Conte Ugolino, a “celebrity” of Divina Commedia by Dante Alighieri, Iglesias minted silver coins, it was one of the main city of the Spanish Kingdom in Sardinia, the main mining area of Sardinia.
Our tour is around the historic center of the city of Iglesias through an easy urban trekking, from the main square, along the medieval walls, to discover the most evocative historical and religious buildings, enjoying lots of curiosities and information.
GUIDED TOUR OF THE CITY OF IGLESIAS : WHAT TO SEE
We start the visit from the “living room” of Iglesias, the beautiful piazza Sella, with the statue of Quintino Sella, the first key figure of the mining history of Sardinia. We walk towards the medieval walls and towers heading to the Castle Salvaterra, a place rich in tales and stories whose mysterious atmosphere is still there.
From the Castle, we go back to the city center to admire some old churches (Chiesa di San Domenico and chiesa della Purissima) and visit the nice Piazza Pichi and the art deco facade of Teatro Elettra.
Now we are in the hearth of the medieval Iglesias, admiring the square of Piazza Municipio where the beautiful romanic and neo-gotic facade of Santa Chiara Cathedral attracts your eyes.
Here, spiritual power faces temporal power, with the building of the old Town Hall which frames the square and contrasts with the Episcopal Palace. Then we visit the medieval San Francesco Church, the San Marcello church and the Mining School Giorgio Asproni.
Then we find the Madonna delle Grazie Church and we go to the nice square La Marmora, with the famous art decò facade and the legendary fountain of “Su Maimoni”
We walk through via Nuova, Corso Matteotti, to admire the liberty building along the road heading to Piazza Oberdan with the touching monuments to the soldiers killed in war made by the Sardinian artist Francesco Ciusa.