Established by Royal Decree in 1889, the Alghero Penal Bath took shape in a suburban location, the hill of San Giovanni, only in 1893.
It was here that Alessandro Serenelli, the killer of Santa Maria Goretti, served the last years of his long imprisonment from 1924 to 1929.
In 1945 it was the scene of a tragic escape of lifers, including the Farina brothers, in which four correctional officers lost their lives.
After that episode, the wall structures were strengthened and perimeter towers were erected.
Currently, within the penitentiary institution, a printing press is in operation, replacing the old bindery, a carpentry workshop has been started, and several vocational education courses are being activated. The facility houses a rich library of as many as 11,000 volumes named after Fabrizio De André.
