Perhaps it is no coincidence that on the top of the hill, which can be reached from hairpin bends rising up between white tuffaceous rocks and the green of agaves and Mediterranean greenery, it appears there was once a monastery and, later, a church dedicated to the archangel. Rising up today, in excellent condition, is a medieval castle that overlooks the city, surrounded by a green park. Once isolated, today it is part of the is Mirrionis district. A 360-degree view of the capital can be enjoyed from the top, with the Pisan towers of the Castello district, the port, the Poetto, the Sella del Diavolo and the Santa Gilla lagoon. The manor, having long been the sentinel of the access road from Campidano, can be seen from all points around the town and the surrounds, even from kilometres away when approaching from the Highway 131.The quadrangular structure of the castle, built of limestone from the Cave di Bonaria, has three large corner towers, two older, to the north-east and south-east, constructed with perfectly squared ashlars, and a south-west tower that was erected later with a coarser technique, rising up even higher and without a talus wall base like the first two. They are connected by curtain walls. In the west, traces of the Romanesque façade of the Oratorio di San Michele Arcangelo can be seen. It has two entrances side-by-side, an indication of a building with two naves that became the castle’s chapel, after having been incorporated therein. Around it is a wide and deep moat that can be crossed by a bridge, today as in the past, perhaps as early as the Piedmontese operations undertaken in the 18th century, which transformed the ancient manor into a modern fort.
Opening hours:
Winter timetable:
from Tuesday to Sunday, 10 am – 1 pm / 4 pm – 7 pm.
Closed on Monday.
Summer opening times:
From Tuesday to Friday from 16.00 to 21.00. Saturday and Sunday from 10.00 to 13.00 and from 16.00 to 21.00. Closed on Mondays. Mid-August: from 17.00 to 20.00. Closed Monday
Prices:
Entire: 3.00 €
Reduced: 2.00 €