Cagliari, capital of Sardinia

Saturday, 21 February 2015 - 01:00 pm (CET/MEZ) Berlin | Author/Destination:
Category/Kategorie: General
Reading Time:  5 minutes

Flamingoes at Cagliari © Stefano Marrocu/cc-by-sa-3.0

Flamingoes at Cagliari © Stefano Marrocu/cc-by-sa-3.0

Cagliari is an Italian municipality and the capital of the island of Sardinia, an Autonomous Region of Italy. Cagliari’s Sardinian name Casteddu literally means castle. It has nearly 150,000 inhabitants, while its metropolitan area has more than 480,000 inhabitants. It is also the seat of the University of Cagliari.

An ancient city with a long history, Cagliari has seen the rule of several civilizations. Under the buildings of the modern city there is a continuous stratification of human settlements of about five thousand years, from the Neolithic to today. Historical sites include the prehistoric domus de janas, very damaged by cave activity, a Byzantine basilica, three Pisan-era towers, a strong system of fortification that made the town the core of the Spanish Habsburg imperial power in the western Mediterranean sea. Its natural resources have always been its sheltered harbor, the oft-powerfully fortified hill of Monti Castru, the modern Casteddu, the salt from its lagoons, and, from inland, the Campidano plain wheat and the Iglesiente mines.

Town Hall © Hpschaefer/cc-by-sa-3.0 Sella del Diavolo © Gianni Careddu/cc-by-sa-3.0 Saline del Poetto © Abxbay/cc-by-sa-3.0 Lungomare Poetto © flickr.com - Daniela/cc-by-sa-2.0 East part of the port of Cagliari © mgm22ch/cc-by-sa-2.0 Flamingoes at Cagliari © Stefano Marrocu/cc-by-sa-3.0
<
>
East part of the port of Cagliari © mgm22ch/cc-by-sa-2.0
It was the capital of the Kingdom of Sardinia (which in 1861 became the Kingdom of Italy) from 1324 to 1848, when Turin became the formal capital of the kingdom. Today the city is a regional cultural, educational, political and artistic centre, known for its diverse Art Nouveau architecture and several monuments, and Sardinia’s economic and industrial hub, having one of the biggest ports in the Mediterranean sea, an international airport, and the 106th highest income rate in Italy (among 8.092 comuni), comparable to that of several Northern cities.

Considerable remains of the ancient city of Karalis are still visible, including those of the Tuvixeddu necropolis, the Roman Amphitheatre, traditionally called Is centu scalas (“One hundred steps”), and of an aqueduct, used to provide a water in which it is generally scarce. Still visible are also some ancient cisterns of vast extent, the ruins of a small circular temple, and numerous sepulchres on a hill outside the modern town, which appears to have formed the necropolis of the ancient city The Amphitheatre still stages open-air operas and concerts during the summer. The modern districts built in late 19th century and the early 20th century contains examples of Art Deco architecture, as well as 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. The Orto Botanico dell’Università di Cagliari, the city’s botanical garden, is also of interest. The other early districts of the town (Marina, Stampace and Villanova) retain much of their original appeal. In Stampace is located the Torre dello Sperone, another tower built by the Pisans in the late 13th-century, and two important monumental church: the Collegiata di Sant’Anna and the Chiesa di San Michele, both built in the 18th century in baroque style. Many more churches, both old and modern, can be found through the city. The city has numerous libraries and is also home to the State Archive, containing thousand of handwritten documents from the foundation of the Kingdom of Sardinia (1325 AD) to the present. In addition to numerous local and university department libraries, the most important libraries are the old University Library, with thousands of ancient books, the Provincial Library, the Regional Library, and the Mediateca of the Mediterranean, which contains the municipal archive and library collection.

Read more on City of Cagliari, Cagliari Tourism, LonelyPlanet.com – Cagliari, University of Cagliari, Cagliari Airport and Wikipedia Cagliari. Learn more about the use of photos. To inform you about latest news most of the city, town or tourism websites offer a newsletter service and/or operate Facebook pages/Twitter accounts. In addition more and more destinations, tourist organizations and cultural institutions offer Apps for your Smart Phone or Tablet, to provide you with a mobile tourist guide (Smart Traveler App by U.S. Department of State - Weather report by weather.com - Global Passport Power Rank - Travel Risk Map - Democracy Index - GDP according to IMF, UN, and World Bank - Global Competitiveness Report - Corruption Perceptions Index - Press Freedom Index - World Justice Project - Rule of Law Index - UN Human Development Index - Global Peace Index - Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Index). If you have a suggestion, critique, review or comment to this blog entry, we are looking forward to receive your e-mail at comment@wingsch.net. Please name the headline of the blog post to which your e-mail refers to in the subject line.




Recommended posts:

Share this post: (Please note data protection regulations before using buttons)

Jungle Island in Miami

Jungle Island in Miami

[caption id="attachment_224700" align="aligncenter" width="590"] Jungle Island © panoramio.com - qwesy qwesy/cc-by-3.0[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]Jungle Island, formerly Parrot Jungle, is a relaunched eco-adventure park on Watson Isla...

[ read more ]

Madonna Inn in California

Madonna Inn in California

[caption id="attachment_238639" align="aligncenter" width="590"] © flickr.com - Omar Omar/cc-by-2.0[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]The Madonna Inn is a motel in San Luis Obispo, California. Opened for business in 1958, it quickly became a...

[ read more ]

Yorba Linda in California

Yorba Linda in California

[caption id="attachment_223155" align="aligncenter" width="590"] Richard Nixon Library and Gardens © Sorcha/cc-by-sa-2.5[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]Yorba Linda is a suburban city in northeastern Orange County, California, United State...

[ read more ]

Theme Week Tunisia

Theme Week Tunisia

[caption id="attachment_168254" align="aligncenter" width="590"] Beach in Hammamet © Faresbenrayana/cc-by-sa-4.0[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]Tunisia is a country in North Africa, covering 165,000 square kilometres (64,000 square miles)...

[ read more ]

Theme Week Firth of Clyde - Little Cumbrae

Theme Week Firth of Clyde - Little Cumbrae

[caption id="attachment_242974" align="aligncenter" width="590"] Lighthouse © flickr.com - David Cook/cc-by-2.0[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]Little Cumbrae (Scottish Gaelic: Cumaradh Beag) is an island in the Firth of Clyde, in North Ay...

[ read more ]

Symi in the southern Aegean

Symi in the southern Aegean

[caption id="attachment_150692" align="aligncenter" width="590"] © Karelj/cc-by-sa-3.0[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]Symi is a Greek island and municipality. It is mountainous and includes the harbor town of Symi and its adjacent upper t...

[ read more ]

Abu Dis in the West Bank

Abu Dis in the West Bank

[caption id="attachment_212079" align="aligncenter" width="590"] Dome of Rock in East Jerusalem as seen from Abu Dis © Padres Hana/cc-by-sa-3.0[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]Abu Dis or Abu Deis is a Palestinian village in the Quds Govern...

[ read more ]

TWA Hotel at JFK Airport in Queens

TWA Hotel at JFK Airport in Queens

[caption id="attachment_203315" align="aligncenter" width="590"] Retired airliner is used as cocktail bar © Jag9889/cc-by-sa-4.0[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]TWA Hotel is a hotel at John F. Kennedy International Airport in Queens, New Y...

[ read more ]

Port Stephens in New South Wales

Port Stephens in New South Wales

[caption id="attachment_167412" align="aligncenter" width="590"] Jimmy's Beach (Winda Woppa) toward Yacabba Headland © J.lyle[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]Port Stephens, an open youthful tide dominated drowned valley estuary, is a large...

[ read more ]

Lafayette in Louisiana

Lafayette in Louisiana

[caption id="attachment_245086" align="aligncenter" width="590"] Vermilion Inn © Larry D. Moore/cc-by-4.0[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]Lafayette is the most populous city in and parish seat of Lafayette Parish in the U.S. state of Louis...

[ read more ]

Ocean City in New Jersey

Ocean City in New Jersey

[caption id="attachment_153641" align="aligncenter" width="590"] Rising sun over Ocean City © Connor Kurtz[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]Ocean City is a city in Cape May County in New Jersey. It is the county's largest city by area. As o...

[ read more ]

Toledo Cathedral

Toledo Cathedral

[caption id="attachment_237412" align="aligncenter" width="590"] Toledo Cathedral from Plaza del Ayuntamiento © Nikthestunned/cc-by-sa-3.0[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]The Primatial Cathedral of Saint Mary of Toledo (Spanish: Catedral P...

[ read more ]

Return to TopReturn to Top