Costitutes the main museum institution of central-northern Sardinia, in terms of size and importance of its collections. Established in 1878 as the Royal Antiquarian Museum, it became in 1931 the “Royal Museum of Antiquity and Art G.A. Sanna,” finding an adequate exhibition venue in a specially built building. In addition to the donation of the archaeological and historical-artistic collections of the senator and entrepreneur from Sassari, other private collections (Chessa, Dessì, Clemente, etc.) and the contribution of materials resulting from excavations carried out by the local Superintendency were added over the years. The need for new spaces led to the construction of new pavilions and in 1973 the museum was reopened to the public with a new layout. In recent years, the cultural offer has expanded significantly: in 2000 the medieval and modern section was inaugurated and in 2011, after more than twenty years of closure due to material degradation issues, the ethnographic section was reopened.
The museum is currently divided into two sections, archaeological and ethnographic. The archaeological section traces the history of the territories of the provinces of Sassari, Nuoro, Gallura, and Ogliastra from the Lower Paleolithic (500,000 years BC) to the 18th century through the phases of prehistory, the Nuragic age, Phoenician-Punic, Roman, medieval, and modern periods. The chronological exhibition alternates with a topographical one, which explores sites and contexts of particular importance (the sanctuary of Monte d’Accoddi, the pre-Nuragic hypogeic tombs, the city of Turris Libisonis). The path is enriched by useful educational aids including models, monument casts, and a hologram of the architectural phases of the sanctuary of Monte d’Accoddi. The ethnographic section includes a collection of Sardinian demo-ethnographic objects, which is the oldest of its kind on the island. It consists of fabrics, jewelry, baskets, traditional clothes, and furnishings from the last three centuries, mostly belonging to the Clemente collection. Pending the expansion of exhibition spaces, only one room has been set up so far, dedicated to traditional Sardinian clothing (second half of the 19th century – first half of the 20th century), organized by geographical areas.
Information about the National Archaeological and Ethnographic Museum “Giovanni Antonio Sanna”
Via Roma, 64
07100 Sassari (Sassari)
0703428203
pm-sar@beniculturali.it
https://www.museosannasassari.beniculturali.it/index.php
Source: MIBACT
