Horror pigeons, silver toothpicks, bones in a box and gold paintings. These are just some of the things that can be experienced on the castle hill of Sardinia’s capital Cagliari in the Cittadella dei Musei
On this last Saturday of August the weather forecast was less than favourable and it was decided that a museum visit would be a perfect adventure.
Perched on top of the castle rock/hill in Cagliari sits the ‘Cittadella dei Musei’. The largest group of museums on Sardinia. Not sure if the best translation is ‘the fortress of museums’ or “the town of museums’, but both are fitting.
We arrived at the castle hill at lunch time. Fortunately Bar Luchia on Viale Buon Cammino sits just outside the museums and tempted us with delicious looking focaccias.
These were as good as they looked. Soft, with big air pockets on the inside and beautifully crunchy on the top, generously filled with prosciutto crudo, cheese and rocket salad, scrumptious.
Something out of a Hitchcock movie
There’s an open space with benches (like a tiny park) behind the bar. A perfect place for eating outside. There was still no rain, although the very dark clouds and distant rumble made it apparent it would arrive at some point.
As I ate, the local pigeons got a whiff of it and came closer and closer. Gathering around in increasing numbers until it resembled something out of Hitchcock’s ‘The Birds’. Luckily the generous slice of focaccia was enough to share so I threw crumbs to keep the birds busy and away from me.
In addition to the thought of Hitchcock’s spooky movie the pigeons supplemented with some added horror. One of them was dragging around a dead leg. This dead leg was dangling under the pigeon as a dry twig on a tree – and then, this leg happened to fall off! A mix of feeling a little disgusted, queasy but also amazed at how nature fixes itself and gets rid of useless items! Time to go explore the museums I think! (while the pigeon skipped along on one leg seemingly unaware that it has lost a limb).
Cittadella dei Musei
The biggest museum, and the one that stands out the most, is the Archaeological Museum. A journey back to prehistoric times, to the Byzantine age with mother goddesses, to Nuragic bronzes and Phoenician jewellery. This museum really needs a post all on its own, as it is a real treasure trove. (The only negative thing I can say about it is the lack of information in English as you walk around. But this is unfortunately the issue with many visitor sights on Sardinia – Sardinian tourist board: take heed!)
But our goal today was to visit two of the other, smaller museums.
Instruments of torture or toothpicks?
The first one is the little Ethnographic museum (Collezione Luigi Cocco), a collection of Sardinian crafts, art and beauty of everyday objects. All items were collected by a Sardinian magistrate, Luigi Cocco (1883-1959). He spent over thirty years assembling objects from around Sardinia. It features textiles, jewellery, belts, rosaries, tools and carvings. Even animal collars and intricately carved and shaped toothpicks in silver. Many carved toothpicks in different shapes, giving the impression this was a common item. Maybe tooth picking came before the invention of tooth brushes?
Most date back to the 19th and the 20th century. The modern building is a cool backdrop to the collection. It even includes a part of the old city wall which looks very neat together with all the glass cabinets.
Because of the location and position of these museums you have a view over most of Cagliari and the surrounding area. This place is worth a visit just because of this. As we walked from one museum to the other I took some minutes to admire the generous cityscape and the hills beyond. It was also apparent that the thunder clouds were coming closer, I could see lightning flash across the sky in the distant.
Bones and heavenly paintings
The next gem of a museum is the Pinacoteca (the National Gallery), filled with amazing paintings and church altarpieces. Even a fascinating, large box/cabinet filled with relics, bones set into little compartments; and intricately decorated.
Most of the works at the museum were gathered during the 19th century. At a time when the new-born Italian kingdom claimed ownership over Church property. Another part of the collection is of the pictures which used to be in the no longer existing St Francis’s church, many dating back to the 14th century.
There are paintings of Sardinian artists from the 16th to the 20th century, paintings of the 15th – 18th century by the Genoese, Neapolitan and Roman schools and a collection of Sardinian and Catalan altarpieces from the 15th and 16th century.
Also in here there is a part of the old city wall that has been incorporated into the building giving it a really contemporary look.
The thunder and lightning outside added a mysterious feeling to the calm, cool, quiet and dimly lit museum with its gold paintings, celestial portraits of angels and biblical characters.
Ice cream and rain
Filled up on horror moments (credit the pigeons), of seeing beautiful, crafted items and glorious, heavenly paintings of masters of their art, we left the museums and walked along the castle hill (Viale Buon Cammino) looking for a place to grab a coffee (for the Italian) and an ice cream for me.
I had just taken one bite of my ice cream when big, heavy rain drops started falling. The kind you have from heavy thunder clouds on late summer days, the kind that makes you soaking wet in seconds.
Luckily the car was close by so I was damp rather than soaked by the time the car door closed.
Clinging to my ice cream cone like the treasure it was I could sit back and look at the rain, the lightning and digest today’s precious impressions.
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Lots of love,
Bee
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Link to another post about Cagliari – Flamingoes at Ikea
Facts or nice to know:
The museum complex (Cittadella dei Musei) sits on the site of the city’s former weapon arsenal and foundry on the castle hill above Cagliari (Sardinia’s capital). The area was also used for barracks and stables and remained a military area until 1920. It was severely bombed during WW2 and abandoned until the building of the complex started in the 1960s.
The main museum within the complex is the Archaeology museum. Then we have the Pinacoteca Nazionale (national picture gallery) and the Ethnographic Museum (the Cocco collection). There are also two other permanent exhibitions: the Clemente Susini Museum of Anatomical Waxes and the Stefano Cardu Museum of Siamese art.
Inside the complex there is a green area and a spectacular view of Cagliari.
It’s open all day, but closed on Mondays. It is worth checking opening hours and ticket prices online as it can change.
It is possible to park along Viale Buon Cammino, but it can be busy at times. Along this road there are also a few kiosks serving snacks and light lunches. You can also walk up from the old town if you don’t mind the climb.