Sassari, Giovanni Antonio Sanna National Archaeological and Ethnographic Museum

The museum was born from the legacy of the Sassari industrialist and politician Giovanni Antonio Sanna, who donated his art and antiquities collections to the city in 1875, on condition that the Town Hall set up a special museum. In 1878, the Royal Museum of Antiquities and Art was established and in 1932 the new museum building was inaugurated, built by Sanna's last daughter, Zely (1852-1932). The Museum, created as a container for objects of art, archeology and ethnography, underwent various transformations over time. New buildings were built to house the donated collections and the archaeological finds that emerged over the years thanks to the numerous excavation campaigns in the area.
Currently, the exhibition is divided according to a chronological and thematic itinerary.
The historic core of the Museum, the so-called Castoldi Pavilion, houses the historical collections (Sanna Collection, Bertolio Collection, Reksten Collection and Dessì Collection). The remaining rooms chronologically and thematically trace the history of Sardinia, from the Paleolithic to the end of the Roman Age.
The prehistoric room exhibits some of the oldest evidence of human presence in Sardinia, from the Lower Paleolithic to the Ancient Bronze Age. The chronological itinerary is accompanied by some thematic insights on the processing of hard materials, religiosity and funeral rites. A large room is dedicated to the Nuragic period: the exhibition traces the main stages of the development of this important civilization that developed on the island over the course of about a thousand years.
Among the finds, the numerous figurative bronzes stand out for their importance and beauty. In the center of the room there is a model of a nuragic tower and a sandstone seat from the village of Palmavera, Alghero (SS).
At the end of the tour there is a small section that tells about contacts and exchanges between Sardinia and the East, during Phoenician attendance and Punic domination.
Upstairs, the last room of the itinerary houses the testimonies of the Roman period. Most of the materials come from excavations carried out in the ancient colony of Turris Libisonis (Porto Torres, SS). The exhibition explores the themes related to production activities, commerce, worship and funeral rituals, as well as aspects that attest to a cultural continuity with previous phases.
The tour ends with a selection of finds from the Early Middle Ages.
The medieval room is currently closed to the public for work.
The Museum's Ethnographic Collection, the oldest and among the richest in Sardinia, includes a huge number of fabrics, woods, furniture, ceramics, jewelry, baskets, weapons, utensils and traditional clothes.
The main nucleus is the Clemente Collection, which takes its name from Gavino Clemente (1861-1947), artistic director of the homonymous furniture factory and collector of ethnographic objects.
The ethnographic section of the museum, housed in the premises of the Clemente Pavilion, is currently being rearranged.

Why it is important to visit it
Its archaeological and ethnographic finds tell stories and crossroads of civilizations, from prehistory to the twentieth century.

Tag

Structure category: museum, gallery and/or collection

Content type: Archaeology
Ethnography and anthropology

Usability: Open

Province: Sassari

Common: Sassari

Macro Territorial Area: Northern Sardinia

POSTAL CODE: 07100

Address: via Roma, 64

Telephone: +39 079 272203

E-mail: drm-sar.museoarcheo.sassari@cultura.gov.it drm-sar.museoarcheoss.prenotazioni@cultura.gov.it

Website: museosanna.cultura.gov.it

Facebook: www.facebook.com/museosanna

Instagram: www.instagram.com/museosanna

January - December

Tuesday - Thursday - Saturday

9:00 AM - 1:45 PM

December - January

Wednesday - Friday

2:00 PM - 7:30 PM

Special openings: The first Sunday of every month.

Information on tickets and access: From 20 December 2022, at the Sanna Museum and in the other museums belonging to the Regional Directorate of Museums of Sardinia, it is possible to purchase a CARD that allows you to visit some of the most important sites and museums on the island. The card is valid throughout 2023, the cost is 18.00 euros for the full rate, 10.00 euros for the reduced rate. Other entry benefits are available for users on the website of the Ministry of Culture at the following link www.beniculturali.it/agevolazioni. The Museum is open to the public from Tuesday to Saturday from 9.00 to 19.30 (with last admission 19.00), and on the first Sunday of each month. The museum is closed on Monday and Sunday (with the exception of the first of each month).

Access mode: For a fee

Tickets :

Integer : 6 €, , .

Reduced : 2 €, , .

Services information: The museum and garden are accessible to people with mobility disabilities. During the visit, there are explanatory panels written in “Easy to read” or “easy to read language”, created in collaboration with ANFASS Onlus Sardegna. The Museum offers a heritage education program for schools and groups. Visits and activities are organized periodically with the aim of bringing young people closer to the Museum's historical heritage. Guided tours and workshops for schools are agreed with teachers on the basis of different teaching and training needs.

Update

12/4/2024 - 12:06

Services

Teaching room