Squeezing out those last drops of summer in Cagliari, Sardegna
My husband had a work conference in Sardegna’s capital of Cagliari. Since it was the last weekend of summer, and I had never been to Cagliari, I decided to join him for the weekend.
I am always happy to travel and to discover new places, but this wound up being even better than I bargained on. During the last weekend of summer, the temperatures were still high and the waves still warm enough for swimming. It wound up being the perfect way to end the summer of ’23.
Although I have traveled a fair bit on the island of Sardegna (Sardinia), I’d never been to its southern coast, and I’d long been curious to see the city of Cagliari – the island’s capital and by far its largest city.
Although Sardinian beaches are beautiful, I’ve always been a bit underwhelmed by its culture and absence of città d’arte (with the exception of Alghero). I know that sounds spoiled, but in Italy, there is so much art, architecture and culture to explore – even when you hit beach destinations – that its absence is quite striking.
So Cagliari was a great discovery for me: interesting architecture, art and great museums. Here, you can divide your time between beaches and culture. And we most certainly did.
As a port city, Cagliari has been called home by numerous invaders and rulers: The Phoenecians, the Carthaginians, the Ancient Romans, the Vandals, Ostrogoths, the Byzantine Empire, the Republic of Pisa, the Arogonese Crown, the Spaniards, the Hapsburg and then the Savoy. Whew!
Many of the defensive walls and the castle (Castello) district that makes it so unique was built during the era of the Pisan Republic. These winding streets behind fortified walls have breathtaking views over the city – and are easy to spot if you’re flying in to the Sardinian capital (as I did).
The ramparts were also a great place to sit and enjoy cocktails as the sun went down.
Most of the hotels and restaurants are located near the port, in the Marina neighborhood. This is a lively area for the afternoon and evening passeggiata. Stampace and Villanova are also interesting neighborhoods to explore.
We also enjoyed visiting the Roman amphiteatre and the impressive archeological museum (more on those in upcoming posts).
But with weather as good as ours, it would be criminal to have not spent time at the beach … and so we did. Most easily reached is the nearby Poetto beach, which can be reached by city bus. We spent a great day there lazing, swimming, reading – and having seafood along the beach.
There’s definitely plenty to see in Cagliari – and I’ll be sure to write more about the sites in upcoming posts. This was a wonderful way to end our summer.
