Ghilarza

{{Infobox Italian comune

| name = Ghilarza

| official_name = Comune di Ghilarza

| native_name = Ilartzi

| image_skyline = Ghilarza - Panorama (03).JPG

| imagesize =

| image_alt =

| image_caption = Panorama

| image_shield = Ghilarza-Stemma.png

| shield_alt =

| image_map =

| map_alt =

| map_caption =

| pushpin_map = Italy Sardinia

| coordinates = {{coord|40|7|N|8|50|E|type:city(4,597)_region:IT|display=inline}}

| coordinates_footnotes =

| region = Sardinia

| province = Oristano (OR)

| frazioni = Zuri

| mayor_party =

| mayor = Alessandro Marco Defrassu

| area_footnotes =

| area_total_km2 = 55.46

| population_footnotes =

| population_total = 4464

| population_as_of = 31 August 2017All demographics and other statistics: National Institute of Statistics (Italy) (Istat).

| pop_density_footnotes =

| population_demonym = Ghilarzesi
Ilartzesos

| elevation_footnotes =

| elevation_m =

| saint = St. Macarius

| day = 19 January

| postal_code = 09074

| area_code = 0785

| website = {{official website|http://www.comune.ghilarza.or.it/}}

| footnotes =

}}

Ghilarza ({{langx|sc|Ilàrtzi}}) is a comune (municipality) in the Province of Oristano in the Italian region Sardinia, located about {{convert|100|km|mi}} north of Cagliari and about {{convert|30|km|mi}} northeast of Oristano.

Antonio Gramsci, political philosopher and founder of the Italian Communist Party, lived with his family in Ghilarza from about 1897 to 1908.

The ancestors of the American astronaut Wally Schirra were native of Ghilarza, before migrating to Switzerland and then to USA.[http://www4.ti.ch/can/oltreconfiniti/dal-1900-al-1990/vite-di-emigranti-e-discendenti/?user_oltreconfiniti_pi1%5BidPersonaggio%5D=683 Walter Marty Schirra] su ti.ch/can/oltreconfiniti.Corriere di Napoli, 4 ottobre 1962, pagina 5

The town's sights include the 13th century Romanesque church of San Palmerio, in white-black trachite, and the 15th century Aragonese Tower.

History

The foundation of the town dates back to the Nuragic period. Ghilarza then experienced Phoenician, Roman and Byzantine dominations. During the Middle Ages the town was part of Giudicato of Arborea, one of the Sardinian Kingdoms that gained effective independence from Byzantium.

References

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