Laconi, Aymerich Castle

In the center of Sarcidano, the town of Laconi is 550 m above sea level, near a park of almost 22 hectares, inside which are the remains of the Aymerich castle. To E and N, the town is protected by the limestone barriers of S'Atza 'e Carradore and S'Atza 'e Ziu Chiccu.
Tradition indicates in the remains inside the Aymerich park the ruins of the castle of Laconi belonging to the noble family and today surrounded by picturesque vegetation. Archaeological excavations and wall stratigraphies have made it possible to establish interventions from different times, which make them very difficult to read.
An older building, with a rectangular plan, is identified, crossed by a barrel-vaulted passage and preceded by an entrance with pointed vaults. On the right side of the vaulted passage, an epigraph is walled up, not yet completely deciphered, which, however, refers to the presence of a door and includes a date: 1053. The epigraph probably belonged to another building and has been reused, as the structures denote construction methods typical of the 13th century.
Next to this sort of tower stands the actual palace, the residence of the Aymerich family, marquis of Laconi, since the 17th century. It consists of a large rectangular room, in the perimeter of which a series of inflected arched windows, of the Gothic-Catalan type, opens.

History of studies
on the Aymerich castle, the contribution of Foiso Fois in the volume “Castles of Medieval Sardinia”, in 1992, stands out. Giorgio Murru's works, from 2001 and 2003, are more recent, with interesting notes on the history and techniques of masonry.

Bibliography
F. Fois, Castles of Medieval Sardinia, edited by B. Fois, Cinisello Balsamo, Amilcare Pizzi, 1992, pp. 167-170;
G. Murru, “The medieval castle of Laconi”, in The Legacy of Sarcidano and Barbagia di Seulo: a wealth of knowledge and life, edited by M. Sanges, Cagliari, 2001, pp. 71-72;
G. Murru, “Laconi Castle: Studies and Research”, in Roccas: Aspects of the Fortification System in Sardinia: of the meetings on castles in Sardinia (2002) by the Arxiu de Tradicions, edited by S. Chirra, Oristano, 2003, pp. 145-167;
G. Serreli, All the castles of the Four Kingdoms, “Darwin. Notebooks”, n. 1 (July-August 2006), pp. 104-109.