Carbonia

Carbonia is a commune in the Province of South Sardinia with around thirty thousand inhabitants located in the Sulcis valley in the southwestern part of the island. The Grande Miniera di Serbariu mine complex forms the center from which three main streets radiate and divide the town into different residential zones.

The settlement was planned and rapidly built by the fascist regime in 1938 as a mining town to house workers extracting coal from the regional mines. After World War II the mines continued operating until their closure in the late 1960s when coal extraction in Sulcis came to an end.

Its name comes from the Italian word for coal and reminds visitors that miners once lived and worked here. The town still shows the typical pattern of a mining settlement with different neighborhoods based on worker hierarchy.

The town lies around sixty kilometers west of Cagliari and is easily reached by regional roads. Visitors can walk through the streets and observe the 1930s architecture that remains largely preserved throughout the center.

The former Serbariu mine has been converted into a museum and allows visitors to descend into the underground tunnels. The tour shows original tools and machinery in the places where they were once used.

Location: Province of South Sardinia

Inception: 1937

Elevation above the sea: 111 m

Shares border with: Gonnesa, Iglesias, Narcao, Perdaxius, Portoscuso, San Giovanni Suergiu, Tratalias

Website: https://comune.carbonia.su.it

GPS coordinates: 39.16680,8.52196

Latest update: December 13, 2025 16:54