Piazza Eleonora d’Arborea

Top choice in Oristano


Oristano’s elegant outdoor salon sits at the southern end of pedestrianised Corso Umberto I. An impressive, rectangular space, it comes to life on summer evenings when townsfolk congregate and children blast footballs against the glowing palazzi. The city’s central square since the 19th century, it’s flanked by grand buildings, including the neoclassical Municipio. In the centre stands an ornate 19th-century statue of Eleonora, raising a finger as if about to launch into a political speech.

Bargain hunters should drop by on the first Saturday of the month when the piazza hosts an antiques market.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Oristano attractions

1. Statue of Eleonora

Piazza Eleonora d'Arborea became the city's central square through 19th-century urban reforms. Today it is a quiet spot where you can sit beneath the…

2. Municipio

0.02 MILES

Oristano's town hall overlooks the elegant focal square, Piazza Eleonora d'Arborea.

3. Museo Archeologico Antiquarium Arborense

0.07 MILES

Oristano’s principal museum has one of the island’s major archaeological collections, with prehistoric artefacts from the Sinis Peninsula and finds from…

4. Chiesa di San Francesco

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The 14th-century Crocifisso di Nicodemo, considered one of Sardinia’s most precious carvings, is the highlight of this 19th-century neoclassical church…

5. Cattedrale di Santa Maria Assunta

0.1 MILES

Lording it over Oristano’s skyline, the Duomo's onion-domed bell tower is one of the few remaining elements of the original 14th-century cathedral, itself…

6. Torre di Mariano II

0.14 MILES

Little survives of the medieval walled town except for a pair of towers. This 13th-century beauty, known also as the Torre di Cristoforo, was the town’s…

7. Pinacoteca Carlo Contini

0.14 MILES

Oristano's municipal art gallery has a small but interesting permanent collection of Sardinian paintings, together with rotating exhibits by local artists.