Santuario & Basilica di Nostra Signora di Bonaria
Cagliari
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…
Must-see attractions in Southeastern Sardinia
Cagliari
Cagliari’s graceful 13th-century cathedral stands proudly on Piazza Palazzo. Except for the square-based bell tower, little remains of the original Gothic…
Cagliari
Of the four museums at the Cittadella dei Musei, this is the undoubted star. Sardinia’s premier archaeological museum showcases artefacts spanning…
Southeastern Sardinia
Clad in thick forest, the mountain massif known as the Monte dei Sette Fratelli dominates the remote Sarrabus area. Its granite peaks and woodlands…
Cagliari
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…
Cagliari
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…
Cagliari
This vast neoclassical structure, comprising a gallery space, monumental stairway and panoramic terrace, was built into the city's medieval walls between…
Southeastern Sardinia
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…
Southeastern Sardinia
The pick of Villasimius' spiagge (beaches), Cala Giunco is a vision of beach perfection: a long strip of silky white sand sandwiched between tropical…
Cagliari
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…
Cagliari
Although consecrated in 1538, this Jesuit church is best known for its lavish 18th-century decor, considered the finest example of baroque styling in…
Cagliari
Housed in a neoclassical villa in the Giardini Pubblici (Public Gardens) north of the Castello, this terrific gallery focuses on modern and contemporary…
Southeastern Sardinia
To the north of Costa Rei, this fabulous beach impresses with its blinding white sand and turquoise water. A couple more beaches fill the remaining length…
Southeastern Sardinia
In front of the eponymous resort, the Spiaggia Costa Rei is a lengthy strip of dazzling white sand lapped by astonishingly clear blue-green waters.
Cagliari
Established in 1858, the Orto Botanico is one of Italy’s most famous botanical gardens. Today it extends over 5 hectares and nurtures 2000 species of…
Cagliari
Despite its unassuming facade, the Chiesa di Sant’Efisio is of considerable local importance – not for any artistic or architectural reasons but rather…
Cagliari
Cagliari's principal gallery showcases a prized collection of 15th- to 17th-century art. Many of the best works are retablos (grand altarpieces), painted…
Cagliari
One of the oldest churches in Sardinia, the Basilica di San Saturnino is a striking example of Paleo-Christian architecture. Based on a Greek-cross…
Museo del Tesoro e Area Archeologica di Sant'Eulalia
Cagliari
In the heart of the Marina district, this museum contains a rich collection of religious art, as well as an archaeological area beneath the adjacent…
Parco Naturale Regionale Molentargius
Cagliari
The protected reed-fringed wetlands of the Parco Naturale Regionale Molentargius lie slightly east of Cagliari towards Quartu Sant’Elena. A housing estate…
Cagliari
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…
Cagliari
Cagliari’s most significant Roman monument is this 2nd-century amphitheatre. Currently resembling a messy construction site (it's closed for restoration),…
Cagliari
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…
Cagliari
Just steps from the cathedral, this pale lime palazzo was once home to the city's Spanish and Savoy viceroys. Today it serves as the provincial assembly…
Cagliari
Cagliari's main museum complex occupies the site of the city's former arsenal at the northern end of the Castello district. It's home to several museums,…
Cagliari
Rising above the skyline by the Castello's northeastern gate, this 36m-high tower is the twin of the Torre dell’Elefante. Completed in 1305, it is built…
Cagliari
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,…
Cagliari
Housed in Cagliari’s 18th-century mattatoio (abattoir) – hence the sculpted cow's head over the entrance and around the internal courtyard – Exmà is a…
Cagliari
Largely destroyed by bombing in 1943 but painstakingly rebuilt afterwards, Chiesa di Sant’Anna rises grandly above a wide staircase in the Stampace…
San Sperate
One of San Sperate's colourful murals worth checking out is Pinuccio Sciola's epic Storia di San Sperate (History of San Sperate; 1997).
Southeastern Sardinia
In Uta, a farm village 20km northwest of Cagliari, this beautifully proportioned church is a wonderful example of Sardinian Romanesque architecture. It…
Cagliari
Treasures from the Cattedrale di Santa Maria are displayed at this compact museum just around the corner from the cathedral. One standout is the 15th…
Cagliari
Overlooking Piazza Matteotti, the neo-Gothic Palazzo Civico, also known as the Municipio, is home to Cagliari’s municipal council as well as the city's…
Cagliari
Lifted by a hill high above the city, this stout three-tower Spanish fortress northwest of the centre commands incredible city and sea views. Set in…
Cagliari
Cagliari’s medieval heart is an unlikely place for a collection of Asian art, but that’s exactly what you'll find here. Donated to the city by local…
Cagliari
These remains of three Roman houses date to the 1st century BC. Legend has it that Tigellio Ermogene – a famous Sardinian poet and musician, and a close a…
Cagliari
Opened in 2011, this contemporary glass and steel pavilion has given a new lease of life to a former food market. It's now a cultural complex housing two…
Centro Comunale d’Arte e Cultura Il Ghetto
Cagliari
This small cultural centre, housed in a former military barracks, hosts temporary exhibitions, many with a Sardinian slant. The name 'Il Ghetto' is a…
Cagliari
A small strip of park in the shadows of the Castello's mighty walls, this 500m-long green space is home to seven works by leading Sardinian sculptor…
Cagliari
Below this baroque church is a 6th-century crypt where the tomb of the early Archbishop of Cagliari, St Lucifer, rests. In earlier times the area had been…
