Cagliari

Cagliari is the capital of Sardinia and its largest city, spread over seven limestone hills facing the Gulf of Angels, between the sea, the salt pans and the lagoons where pink flamingos live. It is a city of white light and wind, of bastions and terraces, of hilltop historic quarters and long seafront walks. Those who know it only as an arrival port on the way to their holidays soon discover that it deserves whole days: for its history, which can be read here in layers from the Phoenicians to today, for the Poetto, one of Europe's finest urban beaches, for its seafood and for a Mediterranean atmosphere closer to Palermo or Valencia than to the rest of Italy.

Three thousand years of history

The headland and the lagoons attracted seafarers early on. Around the 8th-7th centuries BC the Phoenicians founded the landing place of Krly here, which the Carthaginians turned into a thriving city. Under the Romans it became Karales, capital of the province of Sardinia, with its amphitheatre carved out of the rock, villas and harbour. After the Vandals and Byzantines, in the Middle Ages Cagliari was the seat of the Giudicato of Cagliari, one of the four Sardinian kingdoms; in the 13th century the Pisans built the fortified Castello quarter with its towers on the highest hill.

In 1326 the city passed to the Aragonese, and for almost four centuries it was the centre of the Kingdom of Sardinia under the Iberian crown, which left churches, palaces and a deep mark on the language and festivals. In the 18th century came the House of Savoy, who gave their name to the kingdom; in the 19th century the city knocked down part of its walls and grew towards the sea, with the arcades of Via Roma and tree-lined avenues. In 1943 Allied bombing destroyed much of the centre, and reconstruction changed the face of some districts, but the old heart is still there.

Castello, the hilltop quarter

The best way to begin is to climb up to Castello, Su Casteddu, as the people of Cagliari call both the quarter and the whole city. You enter through the medieval gates, the Elephant Tower, with its little marble elephant, and the Tower of San Pancrazio, both built by the Pisans in the early 14th century. Inside the walls the streets are narrow and straight, between noble palaces and small squares.

The heart of the quarter is Piazza Palazzo, with the Palazzo Regio, the former residence of the viceroys, and the cathedral of Santa Maria, born as a 13th-century Pisan church and transformed over the centuries: inside are Guglielmo's pulpits, a masterpiece of Romanesque sculpture originally made for Pisa cathedral, and the crypt of the Martyrs, with hundreds of carved niches. From the bastions the view opens over the lower town, the harbour and the gulf.

People climb to the Bastione di Saint Remy, a great terrace with a monumental staircase built between the 19th and 20th centuries, for the sunset or an aperitivo. North of the quarter, in the Cittadella dei Musei, is the National Archaeological Museum, with Sardinia's most important collection of nuragic bronze figurines and some of the statues of the Giants of Mont'e Prama, together with the National Picture Gallery, with retables from the 15th and 16th centuries.

Marina, Stampace and Villanova

Below Castello lie the other three historic quarters. Marina, between the port and Via Roma, is the quarter of merchants and fishermen, now full of restaurants, trattorias and shops, with the church of Sant'Eulalia, beneath which you can visit a stretch of Roman street. Stampace, to the west, is Sant'Efisio's quarter: here is the saint's small church, from which the great procession sets off every first of May, and the church of Sant'Anna with its Baroque façade. Villanova, to the east, is the quietest quarter, with low colourful houses and the basilica of San Saturnino, one of the oldest early Christian churches in Sardinia, built on the burial site of Cagliari's martyr.

The Via Roma waterfront, with its 19th-century arcades and the neo-Gothic town hall, separates the city from the port. Along Largo Carlo Felice and Corso Vittorio Emanuele people stroll and shop. The San Benedetto market, one of the largest covered markets in Italy, is the place to see freshly caught fish, cheeses and the island's produce.

Roman and Punic Cagliari

On the slopes of the Buon Cammino hill lies the Roman amphitheatre, largely carved out of the rock, which could hold thousands of spectators. Nearby, the Villa di Tigellio preserves the remains of Roman houses, and on the hill of Tuvixeddu stretches the largest Phoenician-Punic necropolis in the Mediterranean, with hundreds of shaft tombs cut into the limestone, some decorated with paintings, such as the Tomb of the Uraeus and the Tomb of the Warrior. The archaeological park can be visited and offers an unexpected view over the Santa Gilla lagoon.

At the other end of the city, the Grotta della Vipera is a Roman tomb cut into the rock, with inscriptions in Greek and Latin verse dedicated to a devoted wife.

The Poetto, Molentargius and the Devil's Saddle

The Poetto is the people of Cagliari's beach: eight kilometres of pale sand and shallow sea, from the Sella del Diavolo to the coast of Quartu Sant'Elena, with kiosks, beach clubs and a long cycle path. In summer it is the city's meeting place, from early morning to the sunset aperitivo. In winter it is perfect for walking and kitesurfing.

Behind the beach lies the Molentargius nature park, a system of lagoons and old salt pans where pink flamingos nest, now a symbol of the city. You can explore it on foot or by bike along paths and embankments, and in the evening, when the flamingos fly between the ponds, the sight is unforgettable.

The Sella del Diavolo headland closes the Poetto to the west. A path climbs through the maquis to the tower and the remains of an ancient settlement, with spectacular views over the gulf; below it the small bay of Calamosca offers clear water a stone's throw from the city. On the other side of town, the hill of Monte Urpinu and the park of Monte Claro are the best-loved green spaces.

Festivals

The most important festival is that of Sant'Efisio on 1 May, when thousands of people in costume from all over the island parade through the city before the saint leaves on his pilgrimage to Nora. But Cagliari also lives Holy Week intensely, with the processions of the archconfraternities, and the feast of Our Lady of Bonaria, chief patron of Sardinia, whose sanctuary on the hill of the same name has looked down on the harbour for centuries and is linked to sailors and to the city of Buenos Aires, named after her. At the end of summer, sea festivals and evenings on the seafront close the season.

Food

Cagliari's cuisine is one of sea and lagoon. Try fregola with clams, culurgiones, spaghetti with sea urchins in season, burrida of dogfish, grilled fish and bottarga. Sea urchins are a real winter ritual: at kiosks along the sea and in the Su Siccu area they are eaten raw, with bread and a glass of white wine. Among the sweets are pardulas, gueffus and nougat. In the evening people go out for aperitivi and dinner in Marina and Castello, or along the Poetto.

Around Cagliari

From Cagliari many of southern Sardinia's finest places are easy to reach. To the west, Pula with the archaeological site of Nora and the Chia coast, with the dunes and coves of Domus de Maria. To the east, the panoramic road to Villasimius and Capo Carbonara, among coves and towers. Inland, Barumini with Su Nuraxi, a UNESCO site, an hour's drive away, and the Giara di Gesturi with its wild ponies. A few minutes away are Quartu Sant'Elena, Sinnai and the Sette Fratelli forest.

Getting there and around

Cagliari-Elmas airport is about ten kilometres from the centre and linked to the station by a frequent train. The port receives ferries from Civitavecchia, Naples, Palermo and other cities. In town it is easy to get around on foot, by CTM bus and by bike; public lifts connect the lower town with the bastions of Castello. For trips around the area a hire car is the most convenient option.

The best time to visit the city is spring and autumn, when the climate is mild and the sea still pleasant; in summer it is hot, but the mistral and sea breeze make the evenings pleasant. In any season, climbing to the bastions at sunset, when the light turns the limestone pink and the flamingos return to the lagoons, is still the most beautiful way to understand Cagliari.

What to see

• Quartiere di Castello e bastione di Saint Remy
• Cathedral of Santa Maria
• Tower of San Pancrazio e Torre dell'Elefante
• Museum: archeologico nazionale
• Necropolis of Tuvixeddu
• Anfiteatro romano
• Basilica of Bonaria
• Spiaggia del Poetto
• Park of Molentargius

Festivals and traditions

• Processione di Sant'EfisioEaster Monday
• Sant'Efisio, dal 1° al 4 maggio1 May

Festival features

Nearby beaches

• Poetto5 km

Nearby hikes

• Sella del Diavolo5 km
• Foresta dei Sette Fratelli28 km

Nearby towns

• Monserrato · 5 km
• Selargius · 6 km
• Quartu Sant'Elena · 7 km
• Quartucciu · 7 km
• Elmas · 8 km
• Sestu · 10 km
• Settimo San Pietro · 11 km
• Assemini · 12 km

Sources: Grande Enciclopedia della Sardegna; ISTAT. Original texts by Gotosardinia.