Sassari: A large crowd gathers for the 20th edition of Open Monuments.

The 2026 edition of Monumenti Aperti (Open Monuments) opened yesterday in Sassari's Piazza Castello. The twentieth edition, which concludes today, Sunday, May 3, was launched in the presence of Mayor Giuseppe Mascia and Councilor for Culture Nicoletta Puggioni. Forty-eight sites are open to the public, seven of which are open to the public for the first time , and where young students from the city's schools will host the event .

"Generation of Open Monuments" is this year's theme, highlighting the role of young people, the protagonists of the event, in connecting the past and the future.

One of the new features is the trail along the Argentiera coastal paths, accessible today, Sunday the 3rd, by reservation and curated by the Landworks Association. The seven sites open for the first time are the churches of San Francesco dei Cappuccini and Madonna del Rosario, the Verdi Theater, the Figlie di Maria Foundation School, the University Botanical Garden, the former Convent of San Pietro in Silki, and the Mario Sironi Academy of Fine Arts. Monserrato Park is once again accessible, as is the Barbican of the Aragonese Castle after twelve years. Four thematic trails are planned: "In the Heart of the Historic Center," "Inside the Walls," "Beyond the Walls," and "City and Territory, Between History and Nature," which focuses on peripheral sites and landscape heritage. All activities and visits are free.

Since yesterday, large crowds have flocked to Sassari's treasures, including those belonging to the Thàmus network: the Duke's Rooms and Cellars at the Ducal Palace, the "Enrico Costa" Municipal Historical Archive, the Palazzo di Città - City Museum, the Palazzo Infermeria San Pietro, the Rosello Fountain, the Palazzo d'Usini, home to the Municipal Library, the Barbican of the Aragonese Castle, and, outside the urban area, the Pre-Nuragic Sanctuary of Monte d'Accoddi. At the Historical Archive and the Palazzo di Città, it will also be possible to participate, for the first time, in the immersive extended reality experience "Digital Candlesticks," accessible via headsets and open to all.

The offer is completed by the Ancient Walls itinerary, with guided tours along the city's defensive perimeter, and the one dedicated to the Art Nouveau villas in the Cappuccini district.