Castello di Sanluri – Museo Risorgimentale “Duca d'Aosta”

About the museum

The castle of Sanluri stands in the heart of the Marmilla and is linked to two events in Sardinian history: in 1355 the peace between the Crown of Aragon and the Giudicato (medieval kingdom) of Arborea was signed there, and in 1409 a battle was fought in its vicinity, won by the troops of Martin the Younger. The present building was rebuilt on an earlier structure after the decree by which Peter IV of Aragon ordered its fortification in July 1355; over time it changed hands several times.

In the 1920s the castle was bought by Nino Villa Santa, an officer on the General Staff of the Duke of Aosta, who turned it partly into a residence and partly into a museum of the Risorgimento in memory of the Sardinians who fell in the wars of independence. A visit by Prince Umberto of Savoy and Maria José in 1939 was one of the most solemn moments in the museum’s life.

The rooms hold Garibaldi memorabilia, weapons and equipment, period newspapers and the tricolour that flew over Trieste in 1918, the year the city returned to Italy. The museum also houses a collection of artistic wax modelling with over four hundred works from the 16th to the 19th century, a Napoleonic section and letters and autographs of Gabriele D’Annunzio. The castle is part of the Polo Museale di Sanluri, together with the Museo del Pane and the Museo dei Cappuccini.

Highlights

• Tricolour that flew over Trieste in 1918
• Garibaldi memorabilia, weapons and period newspapers of the Risorgimento
• Collection of over 400 artistic wax works from the 16th to the 19th century
• Napoleonic section
• Letters and autographs of Gabriele D’Annunzio

Permanent exhibitions

• Museo Risorgimentale e sezione della Grande Guerra – Garibaldi memorabilia, weapons, period newspapers and the tricolour that flew over Trieste in 1918.
• Collezione di ceroplastica artistica – Over four hundred wax works from the 16th to the 19th century, including works by Susini, Du Quesnoy, Zumbo and Ammanniti.
• Sezione napoleonica e autografi di D'Annunzio – Memorabilia from the Napoleonic era together with letters and autographs of the poet Gabriele D’Annunzio.

Operated by

Polo Museale Castello di Sanluri

Visitors per year

approx. 13,000

Admission & discounts

Tickets can be bought at the castle ticket office or online through the service indicated on the museum’s website.

Accessibility

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Kids & families

The museum offers educational workshops.

Getting there & parking

Sanluri is about 44 km from Cagliari, along the SS 131 Carlo Felice heading north (about 40 minutes by car).

Amenities & dining

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit