Cagliari, Italy

Very small and not much to see

CAGLIARI

Cagliari is the Capital of Sardinia and not the chief town of the region; the presence of the Sardinia Kingdomup to 1861 is one of the fundamental reasons.

Cagliari is a wonderful city but unfortunately not yet tourist equipped. The tourist without directions could have some difficulties in finding the most interesting sites, therefore we suggest to reada good guide.Besides the national archaeological museum, the most important point in the world for the nuragica civilization and rich also in Phoenician-puniche collections, we suggest the Roman amphitheater of the II century; the cathedral of S. Saturnino, the most ancient church in Sardinia, founded in the V century and readapted in Romanesque age; the strengthened district of Castello, that up to the second world war, was the residence of the nobles. Don’t miss to visit the districts of Stampace, Marina and Villanova.

The first one was the district of the middle class and the merchants, the second was the district of the fishermen and sailors and the third one of the shepherds and farmers.

Cagliari (anciently called Karalis, in Sardinian language Casteddu). The name of “Cagliari” is from uncertainorigin and meaning, perhaps linked to the Mediterranean root * carra, 'stone'. The city had been populated by the Sardinian tribes (2000 b.c.).

The Phoenician ones, that colonized Sardinia before the foundation of Rome, had established in what is now St Gilla’s lagoon. Passed to the Carthaginian ones in the V century b.C., the city knew a quick development, testified by thenecropolises of Tuvixeddu and Bonaria: these were the extremes of the urban expansion of that age thatsaw the abandonment of the nuragicalinstallations on the hills and gathered on the coast on the inhabited area, that definitely assumed a Mediterranean character.

The strengthened city centre was in the site that today is called “Marina”, placed nearby the sacred area in the actual zone of Stampace, and closed among the two port districts of the zones of Sant'Avendrace and Bonaria.

If you lovelyric or classical music, we remember you that the Cagliari Lyric Theater has a concert season among the best in Italy.

For those who doesn’t like only culture we suggest:

Cagliari by night: pubs, restaurants, music cafe, etc., can host you until late night.The Marina district (in front of the harbour), is full of Sardinian restaurants where you can taste the typical specialties.

The Bastione situated above the boundaries of the Castle offers a superb sight and it entertains you with two coffee bars with continuous worldly events.

In summertime don’t miss to visit the bars in the Poetto beach, different musical groups perform every night with several rhythms.

Cagliari is lively and lazy at the same time, take its rhythm and you won't regret it.The city is on a human scale; observe her well, it can be a continuous discovery, every stone, every building hides a secret… everything has to be discovered.

The hotel is along the road from Cagliari to Villasimius; 1 km from the beach. The front building is not very nice but inside facilities are a good value for money. Rooms are modern style with something of tipical; bathrooms are adeguate and clean. There is a nice swimmingpool, tennis court, a little soccer court. Good Restaurant and good breakfast buffet. There is wifi and 2 internet point. The bus stop is in front of the hotel and the bus goes to Cagliari; it takes about 20 minutes. The bus service stops at 11.00 pm.
The staff is very kind and helpfull.

QUARTU SANT'ELENA

Quartu Sant’Elena is one of the biggesttown council in Sardinia, its landscape goes from the mountain to the sea and the natural landscape results very various. Along the shore (26 kilometers of coast) beaches with thin, white sand (Poetto,Capitana) turn from rocky to rough (Terra Mala, Is Mortorius, Cala Regina).

On the mountainous slope the panorama changes radically: the slopes of the Sette Fratelli mountains are covered by woods, natural habitat of royal eagles, bucks, wild boars and kestrels . The Sette Fratelli mountains are a thick granite massifwhere the time and the wind have created indeed real sculptures of unusual rock. The tallest top, Punta Serpeddì, reaches 1069 meters.

The lagoon of Molentargius, in the west outskirts of the city, is one of the most important damp zones in Europe, this area in fact hosts a particularly various and rich avifauna. The beautiful flamingos have chosen to live andreproduce themselves in this heaven.

In the coastal area there are different cueof cultural interest, for instance:

Nuraghi

Of great historical interest is the Nuraghe Jana in the site called Is Mortorius.It is a fortress that dominates the promontory and is made up of three towers united by a central tower (trilobate); in the immediate proximities there is a sacred well and, on the promontory feet, two watch towers.From the most recent studies it appears as a real equipped Nuragico port with chances of landing with different winds.

The Nuragico complex had been distorted from the use of defence during the second world war; but this fact can widely show the goodness of the location to the strategic goals operated by the Shardanas since 1500 / 2000 before Christ.

In the immediate proximities the Nuragico Village of Mari Pintau and a wide chain of Nuraghi indominant position rise.The presence of large number of Nuraghi along the Coast, confirms the most actual theses described in the recent wise man "The Columns of Ercole" by Sergio Frau.

Coastal towers:

The whole Coast between Cagliari and Villasimius possesses Towers in every promontory on the sea and in all the possible points of landing.It deals with a Catalan defensive system - Aragonese date back to the second halves 1500 probably effected on a precedent defensive system of Giudicale epoch.Such buildings of military character had been built for better sustaining the attempts of invasion and the Arabic raids that had been striking Sardinia from the year 1000 up to 1700.The Towers rise to mutual visual contact and they allowed, through optic signals, an immediate alarm to the sight of the hostile boats.The alarm produced the readiness of the Sardinian army and the quick intervention in the unloading zones. It surely dealt with an effective system seen that it allowed Sardinia to avoid the Arabic invasion that marked the Mediterranean islands.Ahistorical curiosity concerns the fact that a lot of Aragonese Towers were already built on the rests of existing Nuragic towers.

So far I´ve loved all the Italy, exept Napoli.