The territory of Gonnesa is located in Sulcis-Iglesiente on the southwestern coast of Sardinia, halfway between Iglesias and Carbonia, very close to Portoscuso and the Island of S. Pietro (Carloforte). The center rises in a gorge, Gutturu Carboni, at the foot of Mount Uda and a group of hills that are part of the Iglesiente Mountains. It is an ancient and tradition-rich territory, inhabited since the Nuragic period and now has more than 5,000 inhabitants. The village includes the hamlet of “Nuraxi Figus” and the mining village Normann.
Gonnesa offers not only unspoiled sea and beaches of rare beauty, but also very interesting flora and fauna, disused mining villages nestled in green hills, very important archaeological sites, and many other places of interest.
The presence in the area of domus de janas, nuraghi and nuragic villages testify that it has been the site of human settlements since the earliest times. The Phoenicians, Punics and Romans also occupied it for long periods, as evidenced by numerous finds, attracted by the wealth of minerals in its subsoil (zinc, copper, lead, silver). Gonnesa, populated since 1000 – 1200, arose as a domus or domestica, that is, a center of rural aggregates owned by the judge or members of his family. Until 1257 Gonnesa belonged to the Giudicato of Cagliari, then, from 1258 to 1400, after various bloody battles between the powers of the time, it passed, first, under the rule of the Donoratico family, then, under that of the Pisans and, finally, to that of the Aragonese. Since 1300, mining, Gonnesa’s “historical activity,” assumed considerable importance in the village’s economy, in addition to the traditional activities of the agro-pastoral world. From about the year 1400 to 1774, perhaps due to famine and pestilence or frequent pirate raids, Gonnesa, like many other villages in Sulcis, remained depopulated. On May 25, 1774, by public act of conversion and capitulation of vassalage, Don Gavino Asquer Amat, Viscount of Fluminimaggiore and Gessa, with fifteen new vassals repopulated the village. From the mid-nineteenth century, mining developed considerably, becoming more and more the preeminent activity of the Gonnesian people, and, thanks to it, the population increased considerably. By this time Gonnesa lost its purely agro-pastoral character and became an important mining village. On May 20,21,22, 1906, Gonnesa was the scene of a people’s revolt that spread to the entire mining basin to demand greater dignity in labor and more humane living conditions. The rebellion was harshly suppressed by law enforcement -3 dead (Federica Pilloni, Giovanni Pili and Angelo Puddu), 17 wounded, 270 arrested-. The national press gave great prominence to the event, and the Italian Parliament established by Law No. 393 of 7/29/1906 a parliamentary commission of inquiry. The crisis of the mining industry after World War II, with the almost total cessation of coal mining and the slow but inexorable closure of the lead – zinciferous mines, reshaped an entirely new economic – social scenario, and Gonnesa, today, with its history, archaeology and natural beauty, while not forgetting the economic importance that mining still has today – in its territory is based the most important Italian coal mine – is definitely focusing on tourism.
