Rationalist architecture and mines
Marmilla Square, Carbonia
A sneak preview
The town of Carbonia officially came into existence in 1938, built in the space of just two years to provide housing for the workers from the nearby Sirai-Serbariu coalfield. Its name is clearly inspired by the principal economic activity. At the present moment the town of Carbonia shares the role of provincial capital of the new Province of Carbonia-Iglesias with the town of Iglesias.
The urban layout is typical of a so-called “foundation” town with wide tree-lined avenues that mark the road network of a centre set out according to hierarchic criteria: at the heart of the town we find the spacious Piazza Roma, around which rise the Church of S. Ponziano (whose bell-tower is a replica of the one in Aquileia),the Town Hall, the Central Cinema, the Workingmen’s Club and the Littoria Tower; around this hub we find the mine’s General Manager’s house (Villa Sulcis, today home to the Archaeological Museum) together with those of the management and further out towards the outskirts, those of the clerical staff and finally the workers’ houses.
Why visit Carbonia?
On a hill a few kilometres away from Carbonia rises the important archaeological site of Mount Sirai, home to a well-preserved Phoenician-Punic town centre and from where you can enjoy a sweeping view over the whole of the Gulf of Palmas.
Near the hamlet of Sirri is the refuge under the Su Carropu rock, where many of the most ancient remains from the Sardinian Neolithic Age have been found.
The nearby lagoon of S. Antioco is of great natural interest where you can observe at a close distance pink flamingos, egrets, herons, coots and scoopers.
Every summer Carbonia, together with another eight centres of the Sulcis-Iglesiente and Guspini area, is home to ''Mare e Miniere'' (Sea and Mines), a meeting aimed at rediscovering the places, symbols and the cultural material of the territory, with more than 50 kinds of events ranging from cinema, theatre, music, literature to food and wine.
Map of Carbonia
The town of Carbonia officially came into existence in 1938, built in the space of just two years to provide housing for the workers from the nearby Sirai-Serbariu coalfield. Its name is clearly inspired by the principal economic activity. At the present moment the town of Carbonia shares the role of provincial capital of the new Province of Carbonia-Iglesias with the town of Iglesias.
The urban layout is typical of a so-called “foundation” town with wide tree-lined avenues that mark the road network of a centre set out according to hierarchic criteria: at the heart of the town we find the spacious Piazza Roma, around which rise the Church of S. Ponziano (whose bell-tower is a replica of the one in Aquileia),the Town Hall, the Central Cinema, the Workingmen’s Club and the Littoria Tower; around this hub we find the mine’s General Manager’s house (Villa Sulcis, today home to the Archaeological Museum) together with those of the management and further out towards the outskirts, those of the clerical staff and finally the workers’ houses.
Galleria fotografica
Why visit Carbonia?
On a hill a few kilometres away from Carbonia rises the important archaeological site of Mount Sirai, home to a well-preserved Phoenician-Punic town centre and from where you can enjoy a sweeping view over the whole of the Gulf of Palmas.
Near the hamlet of Sirri is the refuge under the Su Carropu rock, where many of the most ancient remains from the Sardinian Neolithic Age have been found.
The nearby lagoon of S. Antioco is of great natural interest where you can observe at a close distance pink flamingos, egrets, herons, coots and scoopers.
Every summer Carbonia, together with another eight centres of the Sulcis-Iglesiente and Guspini area, is home to ''Mare e Miniere'' (Sea and Mines), a meeting aimed at rediscovering the places, symbols and the cultural material of the territory, with more than 50 kinds of events ranging from cinema, theatre, music, literature to food and wine.
Map of Carbonia