Established in 1878 and opened in 1931, the “Giovanni Antonio Sanna” National Museum in Sassari is the leading museum institution in north-central Sardinia because of the importance of its collections, which testify to a span of time from 500,000 years ago no to the Middle Ages. At the beginning of the tour, on the ground floor, is the Prehistoric Room where artifacts from the Paleolithic no to the Bronze Age are displayed; the adjacent room is dedicated to the pre-Nuragic altar of Monte d’Accoddi, a unique monument in Sardinia and the Mediterranean. Continuing the per- course, artifacts from domus de janas, dolmens, and tombs of giants are displayed in the Hall of Hypogeic Tombs and the Hall of Megalithic Tombs. In the Nuragic Hall, on the upper floor, there is a display of about a thousand objects from nuraghi, fountains, and well temples. Completing the archaeological section on the ground floor are the Phoenician-Punic, Roman, Medagliere and Medieval rooms, which are divided into three parts; the material on display is mainly organized by type classes. The ethnographic section consists of the- the collections acquired through the donation of Cavalier Gavino Clemente and other private citizens; they include a wide type of objects (costumes, tapestries and carpets, jewelry, carvings). The valuable paintings, which previously made up the Picture Gallery, are now on display at the Sassari National Picture Gallery in Santa Caterina Square.
