A Nuragic settlement, a Phoenician centre of commerce, a Carthaginian fortress, a Roman urbs, a Byzantine administrative centre and capital of Arborea: in Tharros, you will find more than two thousand years of history. The ruins of the ancient city, founded in the 8th century BC and abandoned in the 11th century AD, are located on the southern extremity of the Sinis peninsula, in the territory of Cabras. The ‘outdoor museum’ is a natural amphitheatre overlooking the sea. On its borders, there is the isthmus of Capo San Marco as well as the hills of the village of San Giovanni di Sinis and su Murru Mannu (big face), on top of which you will find the oldest historical evidence: the remains of the Nuragic village, abandoned before the arrival of the Phoenicians. There are also the remains of two nuraghi on the promontory of San Marco and another is thought to be at the base of the Tower of San Giovanni, one of the three – in addition to the ‘Old Tower’ and Turr’e Seu – built to defend the Gulf from the Spanish Crown.

The Church of San Giovanni of Sinins is a three-nave building dating back to the pre-Romanesque era (11th century), but the first construction dates to the Byzantine period, with a cross-in-square plan, dating between the 6th and 7th centuries. The domed structure and the transverse arms of this original building still remain.

The Civic Archaeological Museum of Cabras, inaugurated in 1997 and named after Giovanni Marongiu, a personality from Cabras, is a journey from prehistoric times to the Middle Ages through traces of the past discovered on the Sinis peninsula. It contains the Giants of Mont'e Prama, the greatest archaeological discovery of the late 20th century in the Mediterranean.

An aura of legend surrounds the stone statues of the Giants, kept in a room that was opened in 2014. In the burial area of Mont'e Prama, which dates to the Iron Age (8th century BC), over five thousand fragments were found. Patiently recomposed, they gave new shape to the mighty sculptures, almost two metres high: 18 boxers with shield and glove, six archers with protection, helmet and bow and six warriors. Six statues 'reside' in Cabras, along with four (of a total of 16) models of nuraghe found during the excavations. The others are in the Archaeological Museum of Cagliari. Thanks to a touch screen, you can conduct a virtual exploration of the entire sculpture complex.