Sardinian holidays: discovering Cagliari

 

Cagliari is a city where you breathe culture every day. It is not by chance that it was amongst the 6 finalists of the 2019 European Culture City contest.

 

Cagliari is a young city full of new ideas. Just to name an example, the Italian Internet was born there.

 

Maybe these are the main reasons why Cagliari is a city that usually pleases most of the people – besides its natural beauties, of course.

 

The only problem is to choose what to see in Cagliari amongst its many attractions: take a walk and discover Castello medieval neighborhood? Or is it better to visit the gothic churches of the city? Maybe it would be a good idea to explore Marina neighborhood with its small crowd bars and restaurants or would a tour towards the wonderful southern coastline be the best choice?

 

 

DAY 1 – THE CITY

 

Arrival at Cagliari Elmas airport. Just pick the car you booked earlier and drive towards the city center. Along the way you will see the salines, the pond and the sea.

 

Go through via Roma and go straight ahead through viale Diaz to reach Poetto, Cagliari’s main beach. Just stop in one of the many equipped bar beaches and after refreshing yourselves with a fresh drink, change your clothes to have a first bath in Angel’s Gulf waters. The beach is very long and frequented by both Cagliari people and tourists.

 

After the sea bath, take the car and go back to the center, to eat a local fish specialty (“pesce a scabecciu”) in Marina neighborhood. This dish is prepared with fried fish dressed with onions and vinegar. You can’t miss it while visiting Cagliari.

 

Finally, it’s time to go to the hotel. Just check-in and after a bath, go for a walk in Castello medieval neighborhood, with its many bars, some of them with breathtaking view over Cagliari and the sea. Here you can see San Pancrazio Tower, the Elephant Tower, the Cathedral and other historic buildings that represents the politics-administrative heart of the city.

 

 

DAY 2 – MOLENTARGIUS PARK AND THE SALINE

 

Have breakfast at the hotel and take the car to go to Parco Regionale Molentargius Saline. This park was born because this area was recognized as humid area of international value in Europe. It is a worldwide rare example of an ecosystem that became the natural habitat for many different animal species even if so close to an area with high anthropization levels.

 

The Park organization created many services to allow visitors to visit the park by foot, bike or even boat through the waterways of the park.

 

If you do not stay for the whole day in the park, there’s an alternative tour also connected with nature. The walking lovers can have a great time following the path from Marina Piccola (Poetto’s beach entrance) through Sella del Diavolo (Devil’s saddle) until Cala Mosca, from where you have a wonderful panorama.

 

There’s always something to do in Cagliari. Just to give you another idea, Tuvixeddu necropolis are one of the biggest settlements in Europe, with hundreds of Phoenician-Punic tombs. Even if the settlement is not open all over the year, they are clearly visible from the outside.

 

In the evening you can eat in one of the many kiosks along Poetto beach, as people from Cagliari use to do.

 

 

DAY 3 – HEADING SOUTH

 

Check out from the hotel to spend the next two days in the coast located in the south of Cagliari city area. Head to Pula, then Chia to reach Sa Tuerredda beach. At this point, after an uphill road, you begin to climb down with a breathtaking panorama in front of your eyes. You have just a strip of land and then only sea. Desert and unique places where you have the strong sensation of communicating closely with nature.

 

Turn back to north and go for a bath in the wonderful Su Giudeu beach.

 

In the late afternoon, go to the hotel. Relax in the spa and go for a relaxing walk in the local village after dinner.

 

 

DAY 4 – HEADING BACK TO CAGLIARI

 

Enjoy a relaxing breakfast at the hotel, experiencing the peculiar atmosphere of this part of Sardinia that is rural but also so close to city and innovation sites (In Pula there is the Sardinian Technology Pole, Sardinian Researches headquarters).

 

After check out, head to Cagliari, passing by Pula to visit the Nora ruins, Phoenician-Punic city on Pula Cape promontory.

 

Arriving at the airport, return the car and it is normal to have some difficulties to let this particular atmosphere go… a problem that can be solved planning another trip to Sardinia as soon as possible.

 

 

 

Ana Maria Vasconcellos

 

 

 

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