Domusnovas
Encyclopedia
Domusnovas is a comune
(municipality) in the Province of Carbonia-Iglesias
in the Italian
region Sardinia
, located about 40 km northwest of Cagliari
and about 20 km northeast of Carbonia, in the Sulcis
-Iglesiente
region, in the valley of the Cixerri
river.
Domusnovas borders the following municipalities: Fluminimaggiore
, Gonnosfanadiga
, Iglesias
, Musei
, Villacidro
, Villamassargia
.
The town is known for the Grottoes of San Giovanni, located some 2 km from the town.
walls (demolished in the 19th century) and several nuraghe
. During the Roman
domination of the island it was a village across the Cagliari-Sulcis
road, used to trade the ore extracted in the nearby Metalla.
In the Middle Ages it was part of the giudicato of Cagliari
, and, when in 1257 the latter was conquered by Pisan troops
, it became a fief of count Ugolino della Gherardesca
. In 1324 it was occupied by the Aragonese
Comune
In Italy, the comune is the basic administrative division, and may be properly approximated in casual speech by the English word township or municipality.-Importance and function:...
(municipality) in the Province of Carbonia-Iglesias
Province of Carbonia-Iglesias
Carbonia-Iglesias is a province in the autonomous region of Sardinia, Italy which includes the historical region of Sulcis-Iglesiente, the southwestern part of Sardinia.-Overview:...
in the Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
region Sardinia
Sardinia
Sardinia is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea . It is an autonomous region of Italy, and the nearest land masses are the French island of Corsica, the Italian Peninsula, Sicily, Tunisia and the Spanish Balearic Islands.The name Sardinia is from the pre-Roman noun *sard[],...
, located about 40 km northwest of Cagliari
Cagliari
Cagliari is the capital of the island of Sardinia, a region of Italy. Cagliari's Sardinian name Casteddu literally means castle. It has about 156,000 inhabitants, or about 480,000 including the outlying townships : Elmas, Assemini, Capoterra, Selargius, Sestu, Monserrato, Quartucciu, Quartu...
and about 20 km northeast of Carbonia, in the Sulcis
Sulcis
Sulcis is the southwestern region of Sardinia, part of the larger Sulcis-Iglesiente region. It is named for the Phoenician city of Sulcis , present-day Sant'Antioco....
-Iglesiente
Iglesiente
The Iglesiente is a traditional and geographical subdivision of Sardinia, Italy. It encompasses the northern province of Carbonia-Iglesias and the south-western one of the province of Medio Campidano, and its main center is Iglesias....
region, in the valley of the Cixerri
Cixerri
The Cixerri is an Italian river in southern Sardinia province of Cagliari. It springs from Monte Croccoriga, at 313 m above sea level, in the province of Carbonia-Iglesias. The river flows into a lake north of Iglesias and then exist the lake and flows eastward. The river is joined by a...
river.
Domusnovas borders the following municipalities: Fluminimaggiore
Fluminimaggiore
Fluminimaggiore is a comune in the Province of Carbonia-Iglesias in the Italian region Sardinia, located about 60 km northwest of Cagliari and about 30 km north of Carbonia....
, Gonnosfanadiga
Gonnosfanadiga
Gonnosfanadiga is a town and comune in the province of Medio Campidano, Sardinia, Italy. It is located between Medio Campidano plain from NE and the Monte Linas massif from SE....
, Iglesias
Iglesias
Iglesias is a comune of Carbonia-Iglesias province in Sardinia, Italy.-Overview:Situated at 190 m in the hills in the southwest of Sardinia, it was a centre of a mining district, with lead, zinc, and silver being extracted, as well as for the distillation of sulfuric acid.Iglesias'...
, Musei
Musei
Musei is a comune in the Province of Carbonia-Iglesias in the Italian region Sardinia, located about 40 km west of Cagliari and about 20 km northeast of Carbonia. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 1,493 and an area of 20.3 km².Musei borders the following municipalities:...
, Villacidro
Villacidro
Villacidro is a town and comune in the province of Medio Campidano, Sardinia, Italy. From 2005 it is the administrative seat, with Sanluri, of this new province.-Geography:...
, Villamassargia
Villamassargia
Villamassargia is a comune in the Province of Carbonia-Iglesias in the Italian region Sardinia, located about 40 km west of Cagliari and about 20 km northeast of Carbonia....
.
The town is known for the Grottoes of San Giovanni, located some 2 km from the town.
History
The area of Domusnovas was inhabited since prehistoric times, as attested by the presence of NeolithicNeolithic
The Neolithic Age, Era, or Period, or New Stone Age, was a period in the development of human technology, beginning about 9500 BC in some parts of the Middle East, and later in other parts of the world. It is traditionally considered as the last part of the Stone Age...
walls (demolished in the 19th century) and several nuraghe
Nuraghe
The nuraghe is the main type of ancient megalithic edifice found in Sardinia. Today it has come to be the symbol of Sardinia and its distinctive culture, the Nuragic civilization...
. During the Roman
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
domination of the island it was a village across the Cagliari-Sulcis
Sulcis
Sulcis is the southwestern region of Sardinia, part of the larger Sulcis-Iglesiente region. It is named for the Phoenician city of Sulcis , present-day Sant'Antioco....
road, used to trade the ore extracted in the nearby Metalla.
In the Middle Ages it was part of the giudicato of Cagliari
Giudicato of Cagliari
The Giudicato of Cagliari was one of the four Sardinian giudicati of the Middle Ages. It covered the entire south and central east portion of the island and was composed of thirteen subdivisions called curatoriae. To its north and west lay Arborea and north and on the east lay Gallura and Logudoro...
, and, when in 1257 the latter was conquered by Pisan troops
Republic of Pisa
The Republic of Pisa was a de facto independent state centered on the Tuscan city of Pisa during the late tenth and eleventh centuries. It rose to become an economic powerhouse, a commercial center whose merchants dominated Mediterranean and Italian trade for a century before being surpassed and...
, it became a fief of count Ugolino della Gherardesca
Ugolino della Gherardesca
Count Ugolino della Gherardesca , count of Donoratico, was an Italian nobleman, politician and naval commander. He was frequently accused of treason and features prominently in Dante's Divine Comedy.-Biography:...
. In 1324 it was occupied by the Aragonese
Kingdom of Aragon
The Kingdom of Aragon was a medieval and early modern kingdom in the Iberian Peninsula, corresponding to the modern-day autonomous community of Aragon, in Spain...