The museum of Selargius, also known as SEMÚ, can be found in the old part of town between via Roma and via Dante. It is inside one of the most characteristic buildings of the area: the former Cavallegeri’s Barrack.
The most ancient document regarding this establishment is a land registry map, preserved by the National Archives under the “courtyards and barracks” category of the State Property.
The main map of Selargius, drawn out by B.Piras on 30th August 1902, also describes this building as the Barrack. These two sources clear any misunderstanding caused by the proximity of the Barrack to another important building: the Aragonese Prison. Due to their position and the ever changing landscape of the 18th and 19th centuries, the general public considered these edifices to be one and the same. It is likely that the Barrack originated as a public home and was later developed into two more formal institutions: the Cavallegeri and the Real Carabinieri barracks. The existance of their respective emblems inside the building confirms as much.
The Barrack is placed on a crossroad between Via Roma and Via Dante and it features fortified walls to protect it from the river’s frequent floodings. The architecture resembles the typical houses of Selargius, characterised by a round archway that leads into an inner courtyard. The ground floor accommodates seven separate rooms while the first floors allows for four. The courtyard perimeter features a porch made of wooden beams resting on brick pillars. Each room is accessibe through the porch and it’s welcomed by arches decorated in friezes from the Aragonese era. During restoration a section of the wall was intentionally left untouched to expose the original mud bricks (known as làdiri). As of today this site is the home of an exibition of eneolithic finds from the archaeological site Su Coddu-Canelles.