Parco Museo S'Abba Frisca

About the museum

The Parco Museo S’Abba Frisca is located in Dorgali, on a family farm that has been in continuous operation for over two hundred years. The name “l’acqua fresca” (fresh water) was given to the estate by the grandfather of the present owner, because of the abundant springs that characterise it. Over time the property moved from being a simple farm to a place of memory: the owner, Portolu Secci, spent decades recovering the historic rooms, the abandoned objects and the dye, aromatic and medicinal plants of former times, and also created a nature park around the ancient springs.

In 2012 management passed to the cooperative Parco Museo S’Abba Frisca, and in 2018 the Regione Sardegna recognised the site as the most complete ethnographic and natural history museum on the island, the first private museum to be entered in the regional register of cultural institutions and places (Albo regionale degli istituti e luoghi della cultura).

The collection comprises more than 4,500 objects documenting life in Sardinia between 1650 and 1940, displayed in historic rooms such as the kitchen, the oil mill and the wine press. The most valuable item is the collection of bladed weapons and firearms, declared of cultural interest by the Ministry in 2017. The visit combines a guided route through the museum rooms with a free part in the park, with farm animals, a kitchen garden and a trail of aromatic plants. During the Museo Vivente (Living Museum), craftspeople demonstrate the making of carasau bread, filigree and other trades.

Highlights

• Over 4,500 ethnographic objects from Sardinia, 1650 to 1940
• Collection of bladed weapons and firearms of cultural interest
• Historic farm rooms: kitchen, oil mill and wine press
• Park with animals, kitchen garden and sensory trail of aromatic herbs
• Museo Vivente demonstrations (carasau bread, filigree, leatherwork)

Permanent exhibitions

• Collezione etnografica del Parco Museo – More than 4,500 objects documenting life in Sardinia between 1650 and 1940, with a collection of weapons of cultural interest.
• Parco, fattoria e Museo Vivente – Free route among animals, the kitchen garden, aromatic plants and demonstrations of traditional crafts.

Operated by

Cooperativa Parco Museo S'Abba Frisca

Visitors per year

approx. 24,000

Admission & discounts

The ticket includes the guided visit to the park-museum and the free route in the new area of the park with the farm animals. Tickets are bought on arrival; all payment methods are accepted.

Accessibility

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

The route is largely accessible, but some sections have slopes or uneven ground. The larger rooms of the museum (with guided visit) and the free route with animals, aromatic plants and kitchen garden are fully accessible to wheelchair users. For blind and partially sighted visitors there is a sensory trail of aromatic herbs and signs with Braille descriptions; for deaf visitors a descriptive text is available on request. Dogs are admitted on a lead; in enclosed spaces only small dogs carried in arms are allowed.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Hands-on stations
• Stroller-friendly

The route is simple and suitable for pushchairs and children of all ages. Each year the park-museum welcomes thousands of schoolchildren, with educational workshops and the educational farm.

Getting there & parking

From Dorgali or Cala Gonone take the SS 125 and at km 209.4 turn onto the junction for the park-museum and the Ispinigoli cave, then follow 5 km of municipal road. The park is 5 km from Dorgali, 4.5 km from Cala Gonone and 19 km from Orosei; motorhomes and coaches must use the SS 125.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Museum shop

Kiosk bar with boards of cured meats and local cheeses, casadinas (Sardinian cheese pastries), small pizzas, soft drinks and ice cream; a shop near the ticket office with gifts and local crafts. Both are also accessible without a ticket.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit