Things to do in Cagliari
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Chiesa di Sant'Efisio
Despite its unassuming façade and modest interior, the most important church in the Stampace quarter is the Chiesa di Sant'Efisio. It's dedicated to Cagliari's patron saint, St Ephisius, a Roman soldier who converted to Christianity and later lost his head for refusing to recant his new-found faith. The church is supposedly built on the site of the martyr's prison.
He's stood the city in good stead throughout the years, saving the populus from a hideous plague in 1652 - when the church got its marble makeover - and repelling Napoleon's fleet in 1793. You can even see French cannonballs embedded in the wall beneath a picture of St Ephisius stirring up the storm that sent…
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Ghetto degli Ebrei
The area around Via Santa Croce was once the Ghetto degli Ebrei, the synagogue standing where the Chiesa di Santa Croce now looms (currently under restoration). Under Spanish rule the entire community was expelled in 1492 and today nothing much remains except the name, applied to a Restored Former Barracks. It's now a good place to catch temporary art and photographic exhibitions.
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Marina
Browse-worthy indeed, the Cagliari waterfront is known as Marina and it's the most atmospheric part of town, with little lanes full of artisans' shops, delicatessens and loads of good eateries. This neighbourhood is also blessed with plenty of churches: the Chiesa di Sant'Eulalia on Piazza Sant'Eulalia is the most interesting thanks to its attached museum.
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Dal Corsaro
A classic of Cagliari's fine-dining scene, Dal Corsaro attracts the glad-rag scenesters who want to be seen. Stiff white tablecloths, silver wine buckets and elegant couples murmuring over floral arrangements set the scene for some outrageously good food, while white-smocked waiters provide impeccable service.
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Bastione San Remy
Once a strong point in the fortifications, the bastion is now a belvedere offering views across the city and its lagoons. For decades a flea market has set up here on Sunday, perhaps the successor to the 1948 fair, which was held as the city tried to pull itself out of the postwar mire.
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Caffè degli Spiriti
Grab a hammock, lie back and enjoy the vibe at this stylish lounge bar on the Bastione San Remy. If you get the munchies call for pizza (€7) or grilled meat (€17).
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Caffè Librarium Nostrum
A modish Castello bar with panoramic seating on top of Cagliari’s medieval ramparts. Occasional live music jacks up the atmosphere in the brick-lined interior.
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Antico Caffè
Unfortunately located on a busy road junction, this is Cagliari’s most famous cafe. Sip cocktails on the terrace or inside amid the polished wood and brass.
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Chiesa di Santo Sepolcro
Visit the Chiesa di Santo Sepolcro, whose most astonishing feature is an enormous 17th-century gilded wooden altarpiece housing a figure of the Virgin Mary.
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Orto Botanico
The Orto Botanico is one of Italy’s most famous botanical gardens.
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Il Castello
The precipitous white stone walls of medieval Cagliari, with two of the grand Pisan towers still standing, enclose what has always been known as Il Castello. The Sardinians call it Su Casteddu, a term they also use to describe the whole city. The walls are best admired from afar - one good spot is the Roman amphitheatre across the valley to the west.
Inside the battlements, the medieval city reveals itself like Pandora's box. The university, cathedral, museums and Pisan palaces are wedged into a jigsaw of narrow high-walled alleys. Once the stately residence of officials, the old town is now strung together by lines of washing, with the shops shuttered and many of the…
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Cripta di Santa Restituta
Virtually next door to the Chiesa di Sant'Efisio is the Cripta di Santa Restituta, which has been in use since pre-Christian times. It's a huge, eerie natural cavern where the echo of leaking water drip-drips. Originally a place of pagan worship, it became the home of the martyr Restituta in the 5th century and a reference point for Cagliari's early Christians. The Orthodox Christians took it over - you can still see remnants of their frescoes - until the 13th century, when it was abandoned.
In WWII it was used as an air-raid shelter, a task it was not up to, since many died while holed up here during a raid in February 1943. It's interesting to make out the wartime…
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Castello di San Michele
A stout three-tower Spanish fortress, Castello di San Michele stands in a commanding position northwest of the city centre. It was built in the 10th century to protect the capital from the province of Cagliari and it has been much added to over the years. Its location is spectacular and its grounds are a peaceful green space to get away from the city.
The castle is used for temporary exhibitions, so the times and entry prices can change. To get there take city bus 5, which has a terminus at the foot of the hill on Via Bacu Abis. From there, a paved road runs for 800m up to the castle. During the museum opening times, a shuttle bus runs from the parking lot up to the…
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Chiesa di San Michele
Stampace, the city’s medieval working-class district, harbours several impressive churches including the 16th-century Chiesa di San Michele, celebrated for its lavish 18th-century rococo decor. Outside in the atrium, note the four-columned pulpit from which the Spanish emperor Carlos V is said to have delivered a stirring speech before setting off on a fruitless campaign against Arab corsairs in Tunisia.
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Chiesa di Sant'Anna
Stampace's Chiesa di Sant'Anna is the largest but least interesting of the lot. It looms out at you as if from nowhere and its imposing sand-coloured façade rises high above the little square it dominates. Largely destroyed in WWII and painstakingly rebuilt afterwards, it is basically baroque, but the Ionic columns melded into the undulating façade give it a slightly severe neoclassical edge.
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Chiostro di San Domenico
To the east of Il Castello lies the 'new town' of Villanova, initially an artisans' quarter that spilt out of the original city. You can wander the tight web of lanes that began the expansion; they're squashed between the eastern side of the castle and the Gothic complex of Chiostro di San Domenico. Strangely, amid the modern urban sprawl, hide some of Cagliari's oldest and most famous churches.
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Museo Archeologico Nazionale
The Museo Archeologico Nazionale is Sardinia’s premier archaeological museum. Exhibits date from prehistoric to late Roman times, but the highlight is the superb collection of pint-sized nuraghicbronzetti (bronze figurines). In the absence of any written records, these are a vital source of information on Sardinia’s mysterious nuraghic culture.
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Monica e Ahmed
If you love seafood you’ll love it here. Start with a mixed antipasto – at the time of research this comprised swordfish carpaccio, fried calamari, tuna with beans, mussels, and lobster in vinaigrette – before moving on to the main event. You could play it safe with spaghetti ai frutti di mare (with mussels and clams) or push the boat out and order grilled giant prawns.
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Cattedrale di Santa Maria
Apart from the square-based bell tower, little remains of the original 13th-century Gothic structure – the interior is 17th-century baroque and the Pisan-Romanesque facade is a 20th-century imitation – but it’s still an impressive sight. Inside are two intricate stone pulpits on either side of the central entrance, sculpted by Guglielmo da Pisa and donated to the city in 1312.
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Stabilimento Il Lido
For bathers Poetto Beach is lined with lidos (managed sections), like the Stabilimento Il Lido, where you can hire umbrellas and loungers. The lidos also offer useful facilities such as changing cabins and showers as well as pedalos, canoes and surf-bikes. To get here catch the PF or PQ buses from the terminus in Piazza Matteotti. Both run the full length of the beach.
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Poetto Beach
The 6km Poetto Beach is the longest stretch of beach in Italy and forms an integral part of the life of any Cagliaritani. In summer it has a cheerful holiday atmosphere and is lined with funfairs, restaurants, bars and discos. The southern end is undoubtedly the most popular, with its picturesque Marina Piccola, yacht club and outdoor cinema (July and August only).
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Ristorante Italia
Across from the hotel of the same name, the Italia has the same dated atmosphere. It's divided into two parts: the so-called bistro, which serves up cheap meals, and the 1st-floor restaurant, which has pretensions to grandeur. It's well regarded locally, especially for its fish dishes - try the cassita de pisci (fish soup).
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Spinnaker
This is one place at Poetto where you'll be guaranteed a refined dining experience. It operates on two levels: a cheap and cheerful pizzeria downstairs, and a chic 1st-floor terrace restaurant overlooking the boats bobbing in the marina. It serves up all the local favourites alongside specialities like vegetable-and-prawn couscous.
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Da Lillicu
A Cagliari institution, this historic trattoria has an excellent local reputation and is nearly always packed. Diners come for the noisy, convivial atmosphere and excellent seafood – signature dishes include fritto misto (mixed fry) and burrida (catfish marinated in white-wine vinegar and served with nuts).
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La Vecchia Trattoria
Ignore the gaudy sea-themed décor - think hanging nets and fishing paraphernalia - and enjoy an excellent meal at this local favourite. It's located in a pretty spot in the shadow of the Chiesa di San Michele and specialises in Cagliaritani cuisine, combining the flavours of terra e mare (land and sea).
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