 It became a "comune" in 1853.

Notable sights include the Spanish Tower (16th century), the church of Madonna d'Itria (17th century) and the Arsenal, known as "Su Pranu" (17th century).The town is extremely proud of its famous tuna fishery, and is restoring the original buildings.At Portoscuso, there is Sulcis Power Station, the largest power station of Sardinia, whose chimney is the tallest man-made structure on Sardinia.