The Thàmus cultural network in Sassari is expanding to include Palazzo Infermeria San Pietro, Padiglione Tavolara and the former Convento del Carmelo. The City Council Executive has approved the addition of the three buildings to the network, which brings together the city’s historic, artistic and archaeological sites, with the aim of making them more accessible and strengthening the cultural and tourism offer. The Municipality announced the news on October 28; it was reported on Thursday, October 29.
The expansion adds new stops to a route that already includes museums, monuments, archaeological sites and places of remembrance. These include the Museo della Città at Palazzo di Città, Palazzo della Frumentaria, the rooms of Palazzo Ducale, the Fontana di Rosello, the Barbacane del Castello Aragonese, Palazzo d’Usini, Palazzo dell’Insinuazione, Monte d’Accoddi and the Domus de Janas of Montalè. For information about the network and the sites already open to visitors, see the guide to the Thàmus network.
Padiglione Tavolara is set to house the Museum of Crafts and Design; the former Convento del Carmelo is to house the Museum of 20th-Century and Contemporary Art. The Municipality is temporarily managing both buildings under agreements with the Regione Sardegna. Their inclusion in Thàmus brings them into the city network and its heritage promotion projects. However, joining the network does not in itself mean that the two planned museums will open.
Palazzo Infermeria San Pietro dates back to the mid-17th century and stands near the first settlement of medieval Sassari. It already houses the Municipality’s Culture, Tourism and Major Events department and is used for exhibitions and guided tours: its formal inclusion in the network gives continuity to an existing cultural role. The building is one of the sites enriching the city’s offer of historic places.
The expansion project is linked to regional funding for promoting the sites and to work to upgrade the spaces and improve their accessibility and use. In 2025, the Municipality announced regional funding of 9 million euros over three years for the Thàmus network. The administration’s stated aim is to create an integrated network that makes the heritage more widely recognized and supports tourism and local economic activity.
Culture Councillor Nicoletta Puggioni described the addition as a step toward establishing Sassari as a tourist destination associated with culture, art and history. She also referred to the projects being developed with the Regione Sardegna for the two buildings intended to become museum sites, highlighting their potential impact on tourist numbers and employment. Mayor Giuseppe Mascia emphasized the reuse of historic buildings: «Giving a purpose to, or entrusting a function to, buildings that belong to history but are not therefore part of the past means bringing them back to life and returning them to the city and its community».