FROM CAGLIARI TO IGLESIAS
Leaving Cagliari and travelling along highway n.
130, the visitor reaches the town of Iglesias,
which deserves a long visit. Before arriving at
the mining town though, it would be advisable to
stop in Domusnovas to pay a visit to the caves of
St. Giovanni and the valley of Orridda.
Before
that, going through the town of Siliqua, it is
possible to admire the ruins of the castle of
Acquafredda in the Cixerri valley. It is also
known as the 'Count Ugolino' castle, the same
count that Dante celebrates in the 33rd canto of
the 'Inferno' and who ruled the Cixerri valley
during the Middle Ages.
Taking a small detour from the highway, one can
reach the village of Villamassargia in order to
visit the churches of St. Maria della Neve, built
in 1318 in the Old Romanesque style, and that of
Nostra Signora del Pilar.
Returning on the highway, the visitor arrives at
Iglesias, a town with a very ancient history (it
used to be called 'Villa Ecclesiae') and at the
same time a very important mining centre. Sights
not to be missed are the old town centre, with the
Cathedral of St. Chiara and the church of St.
Francesco; the seaside area, with the coasts of
Nebida and Masua, the cliff of Pan di Zucchero,
the mines of Porto Flavia and Cala Domestica; the
mining and industrial complex of Monteponi.
