Discover Cagliari

The city of the sun and the sea

The history of Cagliari is deeply rooted in the prehistory of Sardinia. Many civilizations, capable to develop an independent and lively society, were born here and they all made their impact on the Mediterranean sea trade and culture. Sardinia is the outcome of the overlay of many different cultures and in this respect Cagliari is no different, being as it is a melting pot of languages, architecture and customs. The first settlement was created by the Phoenicians, but the Romans built the roads, the aqueducts and the sea port, giving Cagliari its city status. Byzantium came next and then was the Spaniards turn to rule for almost 400 years till the Piedmontese administration which ended in the second half of 1800.

Cagliari is a lively cultural centre and proudly holds on its complex and charming history. On the old Piedmontese Arsenal ground, right off the Castello quarter, you will find the Cittadella dei Musei, the Musuem Citadel. Inside the Cittadella, the Archeological Museum with its nuragic "bronzetti" (Nuraghe is the Sardinian version of the Iron Age Broch and "bronzetti", meaning "little bronzes" are the small bronze statues, the mythical symbol of the Sardinian Island) and the Pinacoteca (picture gallery) with some unmissable retables, form Sardinia and Catalonia.

Few meters apart, the old Cathedral is storing, inside the Duomo Museum, centuries of sacred art. Then the imposing Bastioni (the ramparts) with their elegant covered promenades and breathtaking viewpoint.

Other art exhibitions and events areas are: the Lazzaretto Sant'Elia, the Ex Vetreria (in Pirri) e and the ExMa', the old city abattoir in the city centre. To dive into the city streets is all the same an exciting experience, and  a full immersion in the innumerable evidences of Cagliari's past.