Spazio Ilisso is an exhibition center dedicated to artistic and cultural production and promotion, inaugurated in December 2019 by the Ilisso publishing house. This initiative was undertaken to share Ilisso’s 35 years of experience in research, publishing, and art exhibitions. In addition to providing access to applied arts archives, Spazio Ilisso offers a permanent exhibition featuring the most significant collection of 20th-century Sardinian sculpture and ceramics. Spazio Ilisso aims to explore all forms of creativity—visual arts, poetry, music, dance, theater, literature, cinema, photography, design, and artistic craftsmanship—through exhibitions, debates, workshops, and artist residencies. With a focus on the social context and contemporary challenges, and an understanding that the museum should serve the community, Spazio Ilisso seeks to be an active contributor to the civil and cultural progress of society.
The complex housing Spazio Ilisso resulted from two distinct construction phases. Initially a popular-style 19th-century residence arranged in an “L” shape around a well in the inner courtyard, a three-level Art Nouveau building was added in the early 20th century. A grand staircase leading to the raised main floor overlooks the garden along Via Brofferio, which features two beautiful examples of Lebanese cedar trees and is enclosed by an elegant railing and wrought-iron gate. A second, more intimate garden surrounds the well and contains various rose varieties and other notable plants typical of old gardens in Nuoro.
The structure, now open to the public, underwent years of meticulous restoration to preserve its historical integrity. Located in the historic heart of Nuoro, a place rich with memory and a rare intact example of early 20th-century local architectural taste, the building retains its original “residential” layout—room dimensions, ceiling decorations, some barrel-vaulted ceilings, granite stairs, fireplace, original windows, cement tiles, and plasterwork—despite the functional changes and accessibility adaptations. The entire ground floor, including the gardens, houses a permanent collection of sculptures and artistic ceramics, while the first floor is dedicated to temporary exhibitions. Other areas are designated for the consultation of applied arts and photography archives, as well as educational activities.