Carbonia, Cannas di Sotto Urban Park

The archaeological park is located on a limestone hill inside the urban center of Carbonia, between Corso Iglesias and Via Alghero and, more precisely enclosed between Via M. Sironi, Via G. Pomodoro and Via G. Galilei, on the left bank of the Riu Cannas.
Within the urban fabric, between Corso Iglesias and Via Alghero (recommended entrance from Via Fertilia), and connected to the Villa Sulcis Archaeological Museum through a covered passage (from Corso Iglesias), the Park was built around the extensive necropolis to domus de janas, built - on a travertine hill - starting at least from the Final Neolithic (from about 3700 BC onwards). On the top of the hill there is a space intended for temporary exhibitions and other cultural events, thanks to the restoration of the ancient settlement of Medau Sa Grutta, superimposed on the prehistoric necropolis. Inside the Medau you can visit (by reservation) the interior of a Neolithic hut with all its accessories, set up according to findings made in the area.
The necropolis is particularly interesting for its size, for its location and for the typological variety of its tombs. In fact, among the 26 grotticels identified so far, there are often interesting architectures, the result of expansions and changes from various periods.
In fact, it is possible to distinguish two large groups, one characterized by vertical well entrances (generally older), the other by horizontal entrances to a corridor (more recent), with an open door on the rock wall; however, in many hypogeans you can see both accesses, since in the Eneolithic period (between the 4th and the 3rd millennium BC) many tombs were expanded and equipped with a door entrance. Furthermore, the Park is a true cross-section of the continuity of life that reaches our days, with the reuse of tombs - such as warehouses, furnaces and animal shelter - and the Medau settlement itself, characteristic of the Sulcitan territory.
The recommended route starts at the entrance of Corso Iglesias and follows the slope of the hill, with Tombs 25 and 3, the monumental Tomb 4, equipped with a large open semicircular space and a large internal chamber. We continue with the hypogeans that came to light at the foot of the Medau and those opened on the top of the hill, including Tomb 12; the excavation of the latter, recently completed, has returned the finds exhibited at the Villa Sulcis Archaeological Museum, where the reconstruction of the cave on a 1:1 scale was also set up.

History of excavations
The necropolis of Cannas di Sotto has been affected since the Eighties of the last century by archaeological research, scientific research and redevelopment actions, until its inclusion among the sites of the Carbonia Museum System (SimUC) in 2014. Starting in 2012, the area has been the subject of further in-depth stratigraphic excavation investigations, focusing in particular on the so-called “Tomb 12”.

Bibliography
G. Salis, Statuette antropomorfe e religiosità prenuragica. Spunti di riflessione alla luce dei rinvenimenti a Cannas di Sotto – Carbonia, in M. G. Melis (a cura di), Quaderni del LaPArS4 - Omaggio a Enrico Atzeni. Miscellanea di Paletnologia, Sassari 2020, pp. 237-252.
www.academia.edu/45070566/Statuette_Antropomorfe_e_Religiosità Prenuragica_Spunti di riflessione alla luce dei rinvenimenti a Cannas di Sotto Carbonia G. Salis, F. Farci, M. Sarigu, V. Pusceddu, Necropoli di Cannas di Sotto, Carbonia. Lo scavo della Tomba 12. Notizia preliminare, in "Quaderni-Rivista di archeologia" n. 26/2015 a cura della Soprintendenza archeologia, belle arti e paesaggio per la città metropolitana di Cagliari e le Province di Oristano e Sud-Sardegna, pp. 1-13
www.quaderniarcheocaor.beniculturali.it
M.R. Manunza, G. Canino, Nuovi dati sulla necropoli preistorica di Cannas di Sotto-Carbonia, in "La Preistoria e la Protostoria della Sardegna", Atti della XLIV Riunione scientifica dell'Istituto Italiano di Preistoria e Protostoria, Volume IV-Poster, Firenze 2012, pp. 1253-1258.
www.academia.edu/Nuovi dati sulla necropoli preistorica di Cannas di Sotto Carbonia
V. Santoni, L. Usai, Domus de janas in località Cannas di Sotto (Carbonia), in V. Santoni (a cura di), Carbonia e il Sulcis. Archeologia e territorio, Oristano 1995, pp. 51 -82

How to get there
The urban park is located within the urban fabric of Carbonia, near the entrance to Via Fertilia, Cannas di Sotto.

Tag

Structure category: archaeological area or park

Content type: Archaeological complex

Usability: Open

Province: South Sardinia

Common: Carbonia

Macro Territorial Area: South Sardinia

POSTAL CODE: 09013

Address: ingresso da via Fertilia, s.n.c. - località Cannas di Sotto

Telephone: +39 0781 1867304 +39 345 8886058 +39 0781 1888256

E-mail: museicarbonia@gmail.com

Website: www.carboniamusei.it www.comune.carbonia.su.it/vivere-il-comune/teatro-biblioteca-musei-e-parchi-archeologici

Facebook: www.facebook.com/carboniamusei

Twitter: twitter.com/carboniamusei

Information on tickets and access: Cumulative tickets are valid for 60 days. Guided tours are included in the price. Opening hours are subject to change. It is advisable to consult the website: www.carboniamusei.it

Access mode: For a fee

Services information: Reservations are required for guided tours; they are included in the price of the single-fare ticket.

Update

12/6/2025 - 11:46

Services

Guided tours