is the capital of the island of
Sardinia , an autonomous region of
Italy .
Cagliari is called '' (literally, ''the castle'') in the
Sardinian Language . It has about 170,000 inhabitants, or about 300,000 including the suburbs (metropolitan area) (Elmas, Pirri, Selargius, Monserrato, Quartucciu, Quartu Sant'Elena).
Under the name of ''Karalis'' it was one of a string of
Phoenicia n trading colonies in
Sardinia , including
Sulcis ,
Nora , and
Tharros , that were founded from
Tyre in the 7th century BC. It passed with the rest of the island first to the control of
Carthage and then to
Rome in
238 BC when the
Romans defeated the Carthaginians.
Subsequently ruled in turn by the Torres]] in the north west, Gallura in the north east, and the most famous and long-lived
Arborea , with
Oristano (Aristanis in Sardinian language) as capital.
In the 11th century, the
Pisa n republic that had previously seized the Sulcis region in the south east, conquered the kingdom of Karalis and re-built the town of Cagliari. Pisa was one of the four Italian "maritime republics" that in the middle age fought for control of the
Mediterranean sea and its commercial routes. The other
Maritime Republics were the short-lived
Amalfi ,
Genoa and
Venice . Pisa and Genoa had a keen interest in Sardinia because it was a perfect strategic base for controlling the commercial routes between Italy and
North Africa .
Some of the
Fortification s that still surround the current district of Castello (Casteddu 'e susu in Sardinian language) were built by the Pisans, most notably the two remaining white limestone towers designed by architect Giovanni Capula (originally there were three towers that guarded the three gates that gave access to the district). Together with the district of
Castello , Cagliari comprised the districts of
Marina (which included the port),
Stampace and
Villanova . Marina and Stampace were guarded by
Walls , while Villanova, which mainly hosted
Peasants , was not.
In the 14th century the kingdom of Aragon conquered Cagliari after a battle against the Pisans and advanced its plan to conquer all of Sardinia. When Sardinia was finally conquered by
Aragon , Cagliari (during the Catalan domination the city was named ''Càller''), became the
Administrative Capital of the
Vice-kingdom of Sardinia, which later came under the rule of the
Spanish Empire . Many agree that the Spanish domination was a period of decadence for Cagliari and Sardinia.
In the 18th century, after a brief rule of the from Cagliari asked for a Sardinian representative in the
Parliament of the kingdom. When the Savoys refused any concession to the Sardinians, inhabitants of Cagliari rose up against the Savoys and expelled all representatives of the kingdom and people from Piedmont. This insurgence is celebrated in Cagliari during the "Die de sa Sardigna" (Sardinian Day) on the last weekend of
April . However the Savoys regained control of the town after a brief period of
Autonomous rule.
From the
City Hall near the
Port . Ottone Bacaredda is also famous for the
Violent repression of one of the earlier worker strikes in the beginning of the 20th century.
During the
Second World War , Cagliari was heavily bombed by the
Allies in
February 1943 . In order to escape from the
Bombardment s and the misery of the destroyed town, many people left Cagliari and moved to the country or rural villages, often living with friends and relatives in overcrowded houses. This flee from the town is knwon as "sfollamento" (deserting).
After the Italian
Truce with the
Allies in September 1943, the
German Army took control of Cagliari and the island, but soon retreated peacefully in order to reinforce their positions in mainland Italy. The
American Army then took control of Cagliari. Cagliari was strategically important during the war because of its location in the Mediterranean Sea. Many airports were near Cagliari (
Elmas ,
Monserrato ,
Decimomannu , currently a
NATO airbase) from which airplanes could fly to Northern Africa or mainland Italy and
Sicily .
After the war, the population of Cagliari boosted and many apartment blocks were erected in new
Residential Districts , often created with poor planning as for
Recreational Areas .
Cagliari is home to the football team
Cagliari Calcio , winner of the Italian league championship in 1970, with the team led by one of the greatest Italian strikers of all times,
Gigi Riva .
The old part of the city (called 'Castello', the castle) lies on top of a
Hill , with a wonderful view of the Gulf of Cagliari (aka Angels Gulf). Most of its city walls are intact, and feature the two 13th century white lime-stone towers,
St. Pancras Tower and the
Elephant Tower . The local white lime-stone was also used to build the walls of the city and many builidings.
D.H. Lawrence , in his lively memoir of a voyage to Sardinia,''
Sea And Sardinia '', undertaken in January 1921, described the impressive effect of the warm Mediterranean sun-light on the white lime-stone city and compared Cagliari to a "white Jerusalem".
In Castello you can visit the
Cathedral , which was repaired in the
1930 s turning the former Baroque facade into a
Medieval Pisan style
Facade , more akin to the original appearance of the
Church . Near the Cathedral is the palace of the Provincial Government (which used to be the island's governor's palace before
1900 ). In Castello is also the
Sardinian Archaeological Museum , the biggest and most important regarding the
Prehistoric Nuragic Civilisation of Sardinia. Finally, Castello hosts many craftsmen workshops in its tightened and scenic lanes.
The other early districts of the town(Marina, Stampace, Villanova) retain much of their original appeal and still seem to function as distinct villages within the town.
Cagliari was inhabited since pre-historic periods for its favourable position between the sea and a fertile plain, its being sourrounded by two
Swamps (which afforded defences from enemies from inner lands) and its vicinity to high and green mountains (to which people could evacuate if everything else was lost). Some testimonies of pre-historic inhabitants were found in
Monte Claro and in
Cape Sant'Elia .
An outstanding testimony of the Roman domination is the
Roman Amphitheatre . This is a unique monument in the world because it is the only Roman amphitheatre carved into a block of rock (the typical lime-stone on which Cagliari is built). The Amphitheatre still stages open-air operas and concerts during the
Summer .
The districts built in the
1930 s spot some nice examples of
Art Deco artichecture and some controversial examples of Fascist
Neoclassicism , such as the Justice Court (Palazzo di Giustizia) in the Republic Square. The Justice Court is close to the biggest town park, Monte Urpinu, with its pine trees and artificial lakes. The park includes a vast area of a hill. Visitors can reach the top of the hill by car and enjoy a nice view of Castello district, the gulf, the swamps and the beach.
Cagliari has one of the longest beaches in an Italian town. The
Poetto Beach stretches for 13 km. and was famous for its white fine-grained sand. A recent controversial intervention to save the beach from erosion has slightly altered the original texture of the sand.
Cagliari is an ideal location for
Sailing ,
Hiking and outdoor sports. It has a mild climate, often refreshed by northern-west winds. It is close to other beautiful sea-side locations, such as Chia or Villasimius, still relatively unspoilt by tourism and is also close to mountain parks, such as Monte Arcosu or Maidopis, with large forests and wildlife (Sardinian deers, wild boars, etc.).
Cagliari has some peculiar gastronomic traditions. Many dishes are based on the wide variety of
Fish and
Sea Food available. Although it is possible to trace influences from Spanish gastronomy, Cagliaritanian food has a distintctive and unique character. Very good
Wines are also part of Cagliaritanians' dinners: excellent wines are in fact produced in the nearby vineyards of the Campidano plain.
Life in Cagliari has been vividly depicted by
Sergio Atzeni , who settled many of his novels and short stories in ancient and modern Cagliari. Among these, available in English is "Bakunin's son".
A church in Cagliari gives its name to
Buenos Aires . The Spaniard that founded Buenos Aires visited the church of Bonaria (fair winds) and asked for help from the Mary of Bonaria, to whom the church is dedicated. The church faces the sea and was allegedly built where a sailor landed after the Mary of Bonaria appeared in the midst of a tempest and saved the sailor and his ship from sinking.
