Ghilarza Ilartzi
Comune
Comune di Ghilarza
Panorama
Coat of arms
Location of Ghilarza
Ghilarza Location of Ghilarza in Sardinia Show map of Italy Ghilarza Ghilarza (Sardinia) Show map of Sardinia
Coordinates: 40°7′N 8°50′E / 40.117°N 8.833°E / 40.117; 8.833
Country	Italy
Region	Sardinia
Province	Oristano (OR)
Frazioni	Zuri
Government
• Mayor	Alessandro Marco Defrassu
Area [1]
• Total	55.46 km2 (21.41 sq mi)
Population  (31 August 2017[2])[3]
• Total	4,464
• Density	80/km2 (210/sq mi)
Demonym(s)	Ghilarzesi Ilartzesos
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	09074
Dialing code	0785
Patron saint	St. Macarius
Saint day	19 January
Website	Official website

Ghilarza (Sardinian: Ilàrtzi) is a comune (municipality) in the Province of Oristano in the Italian region Sardinia, located about 100 kilometres (62 mi) north of Cagliari and about 30 kilometres (19 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.^[4][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.