Museo del territorio di Castiadas

Museum in the directors’ wing of the former penal colony of Castiadas, with punishment cells, the director’s villa and objects of local tradition.

Opening hoursAdmission €5 Partially accessible

Website Directions

About the museum

The museum occupies the directorate wing of the former agricultural penal colony of Castiadas, in the Sarrabus in south-eastern Sardinia. The colony was founded in August 1875, when a first group of prisoners with their guards landed at Cala Sinzias to reclaim a marshy, malarial territory that had lain uncultivated for centuries. On the Praidis hill a self-sufficient village then developed, with workshops, a hospital, a pharmacy, a post office, crops and livestock.

The directorate building was erected around 1877. Life for the inmates was hard: strict discipline and diseases such as malaria, tuberculosis and typhus caused many deaths, until conditions gradually improved. With the creation of ETFAS in 1952, the penal colony ceased its activity. Covering around 6,250 hectares, it had been the largest intermediate agricultural colony in Italy.

The route runs over two floors, with about ten rooms opening onto the corridors and a terrace. It documents the history of the prison and local traditions through furnishings, clothing, sculptures and paintings, and includes the directorate offices, the maximum-punishment cells and the director’s villa.

Highlights

Maximum-punishment cells of the former penal colony
Director’s villa with garden
Furnishings, clothing and works of the Sarrabus local tradition
Two-floor route with terrace
Audio guide and guided tours

Permanent exhibition

Percorso museale dell'ex colonia penale – Route over two floors in the directorate wing, with offices, maximum-punishment cells, furnishings and works of local tradition.

Operated by: Comune di Castiadas

Admission & discounts

Adults	€5

Admission is charged; booking is not required. It is advisable to ask the museum for up-to-date prices.

Accessibility

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

The ground floor has a ramp for wheelchairs; because of architectural barriers, access to the first floor may not be possible. It is advisable to contact the museum in advance.