Museo Civico Archeologico Genna Maria

Current exhibitions

About the museum

The museum is housed in a 19th-century building in the historic centre of Villanovaforru, formerly a monte di soccorso (monte granatico, a grain bank), opposite the parish church. It displays finds from the nearby Nuragic complex of Genna Maria, where the village is dominated by a bastioned nuraghe. The objects are arranged according to the original functional associations of the village's rooms.

The display cases present a wide range of vessels and stone and metal tools linked to the subsistence activities of the community that lived on the hill between the 10th and 9th centuries BC, including farming, livestock breeding and hunting. Among the ceramics, the fire-management implements stand out, such as portable stoves, braziers and firedogs, as well as askoid jugs, comparable with examples found in coastal Tuscany, Crete and Carthage.

The upper floor displays materials from sites in the Marmilla dating from the Neolithic to the Byzantine period, arranged in the sections “Villanovaforru preistorica” (Prehistoric Villanovaforru), “Marmilla punica e romana” (Punic and Roman Marmilla) and “Marmilla medievale e moderna” (Medieval and Early Modern Marmilla). The museum has multimedia stations, a tactile route with finds inside and outside the display cases, a bookshop and an archaeological library available for consultation on request. It also organises visits to the archaeological park and to the technical workshops.

Highlights

• Finds from the Nuragic village of Genna Maria and its bastioned nuraghe
• Fire implements: portable stoves, braziers and firedogs
• Askoid jugs with parallels in the Mediterranean
• Tactile route with finds inside and outside the display cases
• Sections on the Punic, Roman and medieval Marmilla

Permanent exhibitions

• Villanovaforru preistorica – Finds from the Nuragic village of Genna Maria, displayed according to the original functional associations of the rooms.
• Marmilla punica e romana – Materials from Punic and Roman period sites in the Marmilla, on the upper floor.
• Marmilla medievale e moderna – Finds from sites in the territory up to the Byzantine period and beyond.

Operated by

Comune di Villanovaforru

Admission & discounts

Free admission for children under 6 and for one companion of groups of more than 20 people. The guide to the archaeological park is included in the ticket. The Pinn’e Maiolu site is currently not open to visitors. The price for the exhibition hall varies depending on the exhibition.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom: no information
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

According to the museum there are no architectural barriers; a tactile route with finds inside and outside the display cases is available.

Kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Hands-on stations

The museum organises “Famiglie al museo” (families at the museum) days and workshops; it has multimedia stations and a tactile route.

Getting there & parking

Villanovaforru is about 50 km from Cagliari and from Oristano; from the SS 131 “Carlo Felice”, follow the SP 52 for about 6 km.

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop

Bookshop; archaeological library available for consultation on request.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit