Castello di Marmilla e Museo MudA

The ruins of Castello di Marmilla crown a conical hill above Las Plassas. Below them, the MudA museum explores the medieval world of the Giudicato di Arborea through archaeological finds and multimedia interpretation.

Why it matters

The fortress belonged to Arborea’s defensive network during its conflicts with the Crown of Aragon. Its hilltop position connects the history of the castle with the landscape of the Marmilla district.

What to notice

The irregular enclosure preserves a main tower, wall sections and a cistern cut into the rock. Excavations recovered pottery, glass, weapons and food remains. MudA presents this material through cylindrical display cases, tactile replicas and films, alongside a Roman inscription concerning the Uneritani, an earlier population of the territory.

Context and history

Medieval documents record Barisone I pledging the castle to Genoa in the twelfth century. Mariano II restored it in the late thirteenth century, and tradition associates it with Mariano IV and Eleonora. The museum opened in 2013 in a nineteenth-century residence, with scientific contributions from the CNR’s Institute of Mediterranean European History.