The focal point of the Marina district, and indeed of central Cagliari, is Piazza Yenne. The small square is adorned with a statue of King Carlo Felice to mark the beginning of the SS131 cross-island highway, the project for which the monarch is best remembered. On summer nights, the piazza heaves as a young crowd flocks to its bars, gelaterie and pavement cafes.
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
Santuario & Basilica di Nostra Signora di Bonaria
0.86 MILES
Crowning the Bonaria hill, around 1km southeast of Via Roma, this religious complex is a hugely popular pilgrimage site. Devotees come from all over the…
0.21 MILES
Cagliari’s graceful 13th-century cathedral stands proudly on Piazza Palazzo. Except for the square-based bell tower, little remains of the original Gothic…
0.4 MILES
Of the four museums at the Cittadella dei Musei, this is the undoubted star. Sardinia’s premier archaeological museum showcases artefacts spanning…
18.26 MILES
Clad in thick forest, the mountain massif known as the Monte dei Sette Fratelli dominates the remote Sarrabus area. Its granite peaks and woodlands…
2.92 MILES
An easy bus ride from the centre, Cagliari's fabulous Poetto beach extends for 7km beyond the green Promontorio di Sant'Elia, nicknamed the Sella del…
0.17 MILES
This hilltop citadel is Cagliari’s most iconic image, its domes, towers and palazzi, once home to the city’s aristocracy, rising above the sturdy ramparts…
0.18 MILES
This vast neoclassical structure, comprising a gallery space, monumental stairway and panoramic terrace, was built into the city's medieval walls between…
23.51 MILES
If you embark on just one excursion from Villasimius, make it the 15-minute drive south to Capo Carbonara, a protected marine park. The promontory dips…
Nearby Cagliari attractions
0.02 MILES
Erected in Piazza Yenne in 1860, this melodramatic statue shows Carlo Felice, Sardinia's king from 1821 to his death in 1831, posing as an ancient Roman…
0.08 MILES
Largely destroyed by bombing in 1943 but painstakingly rebuilt afterwards, Chiesa di Sant’Anna rises grandly above a wide staircase in the Stampace…
0.08 MILES
One of only two Pisan towers still standing, the Torre dell’Elefante was built in 1307 as a defence against the threatening Aragonese. Named after the…
0.11 MILES
This crypt 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…
0.12 MILES
The most astonishing feature of this church is an enormous 17th-century gilded wooden altarpiece housing a figure of the Virgin Mary. From the church,…
0.14 MILES
Although consecrated in 1538, this Jesuit church is best known for its lavish 18th-century decor, considered the finest example of baroque styling in…
0.14 MILES
Despite its unassuming facade, the Chiesa di Sant’Efisio is of considerable local importance – not for any artistic or architectural reasons but rather…
0.17 MILES
This hilltop citadel is Cagliari’s most iconic image, its domes, towers and palazzi, once home to the city’s aristocracy, rising above the sturdy ramparts…