Cagliari – the timeless ancient city

Back in February when it was grey and dull everywhere, I booked this trip to cheer myself up. It ended up doing more than that! My partner and I discovered another delightful Italian island in the sun! 

Cagliari in the southern end of the Sardinia, the second largest island in the Mediterranean, has many attributes. However, our main interest is the historic Old Town and the fantastic weather. 

Hilton London Gatwick Airport Hotel

The take-off time of our BA flight at 6.30 from Gatwick Airport South was cruelly early! It would have entailed getting up in the middle of the night for our usual airport taxi ride.

To get round that we took the train to Gatwick the day before and spent the night at Hilton London Gatwick Airport Hotel. It’s only 10 minutes’ walk to South Terminal via a covered walkway. Spending the night there also enabled us to check in our cases the night before. It certainly saved us time, enough for us to have a bit of breakfast at the airport lounge! 

It’s not a cheap option but it was priceless for us to have a stress free start to our break. 
The exterior of Hilton London Gatwick Airport Hotel resembles a local hospital built in the 70s, but it’s modern and airy inside. Amy’s Bar served some nice tapas at a reasonable price. 

Bellezza Suites

For our stay in Cagliari I booked us accommodation at Bellezza Suites on Via Lodovico Baylle in the Marina district. It’s on the second floor of a restored town house just off Via Roma. It’s full of period charms with some original features, such as the elaborately decorated high ceilings, original floor tiles and even the old-fashioned lift!

The convenience of its location cannot be overstated! It’s a short walk to the train station, the Old Town and many eateries, making it a perfect base. In fact, we didn’t have to use public transport, except to go to and from the airport by train and the single fare was only €1.30

During our stay the daily temperature ranged from 23° and 32°C. It was such a boon that we could do our sightseeing early in the morning, retreat to the air-conditioned rooms in the afternoon to escape from the enervating heat and go out again when it’s cooler in the evening.

Via Roma

When we emerged from the main entrance of the train station, my eyes were drawn to the row of splendid art nouveau buildings on the left and the marinas behind lines of tropical trees on the right. However, my idea of taking photos from one side of the other was immediately fraught by roadworks and road closure in between!

I found out that it’s part of a major redevelopment project due to finish in 2026. It’s envisaged that the area would be transformed with the creation of a tree-lined boulevard, a new pedestrian promenade, and three small plazas. That would really show off the beautiful buildings on Via Roma!  

The elegant arcades on Via Roma house many cafés once the day gets into a full swing. It opens to a number of narrow side streets full of restaurants that come to life in the evening 

La Rinascente on Via Roma was once a cinema opened in 1931. It’s been a department store since it was rebuilt after being bombed during WW2. 

Palazzo Civico – The City Hall

This impressive building on Via Roma shines in the sun! The Tourist Information Office is located here on the ground floor but the building is not open to the public

Castello District

This is the historic heart of the city where most of the tourists’ attractions are concentrated: Cathedral, Torre dell’Elefante, Palazzo Regio amongst others. To appreciate the beauty of this part of the city is to wander round the maze of ancient little streets!

Via Giuseppe Manno is a pedestrianised shopping street in Castello District. It’s on our route to Bastione di Saint Remy

Bastione di Saint Remy

This amazing monument is perhaps the most symbolic icon of Cagliari. It was built at the end of the 19th century on the ancient walls of the medieval city. The bastion owes its name to the Baron of San Remy, the first Viceroy of Piedmont 

Terrazza Umberto I on the top of Bastione di Saint Remy

The steps up Bastione di Saint Remy lead to the expansive Umberto I Terrace where a panoramic view of the city and the beautiful Sardinian sea unfold. 

It also leads to the Cathedral via charming narrow streets.

Cagliari Cathedral

The baroque marble façade of the cathedral dates back to 1704, inspired by the cathedrals of Lucca and Pisa. It was replaced by a neo-Romanesque marble structure in 1931.

Palazzo di Città

This Baroque architecture next to the Cathedral used to be the town hall of Cagliari until the early 20th century. Nowadays, it is often used as a cultural venue, housing various exhibitions and events, such as the Robert Capa photography exhibition that’s currently on

Palazzo Regio – The Royal Palace 

The splendid building next to the Cathedral tower houses Ecclesiastical Tribunal, Territorial Government office as well as The Royal Palace.

The palace has many sumptuous rooms with interesting portraits, beautiful mirrors and chandeliers. The entrance cost only €3. We were allowed to roam free from one opulent room to another without any supervision! I was surprised that it was not more crowded.

Torre di San Pancrazio (Tower of San Pancrazio)

There’re two very similar medieval towers in Castello district – Saint Pancrazio Tower (1305) and Elephant Tower (1307). They were built to bolster the city walls. To be honest they’re not particularly aesthetically pleasing, though important for their historical value.

Tower of San Pancrazio is near the scenic viewpoint at Porta Cristina. This building has a very long history and has different functions in different periods. It was an office building for government personnel before was converted into a prison in the 17th century

Tower of San Pancrazio is NOT open to the public

Torre dell’Elefante (Tower of the Elephant)

The name comes from a small elephant stone carving in the tower. It is supposed to be open to the public and the views from the Tower are reputed to be fantastic. However, when we arrived it was closed “due to safety reasons”. There’re however a number of fantastic viewpoints nearby overlooking the city. 

Viewpoints in Cagliari

This viewpoint is Porta Cristina near Torre di San Pancrazio

Views from Via Santa Croce near Torre dell’Elefante

Università degli studi di Cagliari 

Between the narrow streets near Torre dell’Elefante, we stumbled across The University of Cagliari which was founded in 1606. It’s now a public research university. It’s open to the public free of charge.

The library is the ‘guardian’ of the written memory of the Island dated between the 14th and 15th centuries. Not only entry free, but upon enquiry the concierge kindly let us in for a quick look!

Regio Arsenale

Regio Arsenale houses the National Archaeological Museum and others. Entry to each museum was individually charged so we went to only the archaeological museum (€8 per person).

What interested me the most was the viewpoint where the purple-pink water of Molentargius Park was vividly in sight!

City bus tour 

We took this one-hour city bus tour (£12 each) from Piazza Yenne at 17.00 when it was not so hot. As it turned out, we had visited most of the places of interest to us. However we learned some interesting facts on a couple of others via the audio commentary.

Santuario e Basilica di Nostra Signora di Bonaria

The Bonaria Church is a Gothic-style church built by the Catalans in the 14th century. Its importance to the city is on the par with the Cathedral

The Park of Molentargius 

The driver kindly stopped for 5 minutes at San Benedetto so that we could better admire the views of the park and the amazing colouration of the water.

Molentargius Park is famous for its rich biodiversity and for being a key habitat for pink flamingos in the saline lagoons. The water turns purple-pink due to the presence of a type of saltwater algae.

Eateries with a view

Having done my research, I found 3 highly recommended eateries for breakfast, refreshment and dinner. I was not disappointed; all the venues had special views and served good food!

Breakfast at Antico Caffè

Antico Caffè is one of the most famous cafés in Cagliari and is popular with the locals and tourists alike. It’s just cross the road from Bastione St. Remy. It’s open at 7:00 – perfect for our daily breakfast before making our early start for exploring the Castello area. 

Early lunch at Caffè Libarium Nostrum 

Caffè Libarium Nostrum is near the Elephant Tower. Its elevated position on Via Santa Croce commands a panoramic view of the city, spanning all the way to the harbour and the sea.

Dinner at Ristorante Cielo

Saving the best till last! Ristorante Cielo on the splendid terrace of Palazzo Tirso Hotel overlooks the harbour. As it’s a popular venue I booked a table for dinner even before we arrived in Cagliari! When we arrived, the cheerful waiter showed us to “the best table in the restaurant”. He was not far wrong, it’s certainly one of the best!

Our table right next to the glass panels on the scenic side afforded a splendid panoramic view of the city and harbour. It was great to enjoy our lovely meal while seeing the landscape transformed from twilight to darkness. What a memorable meal it was!

The Marina & Harbour at dawn and dusk

A little footnote

It’s a shame that there’s an inordinate number of graffiti almost everywhere. I had been careful not to let them spoil my photos. They did take the edge off an otherwise really delightful city, though not the memories of our great trip, plus an addition to my fridge magnet collection!