STOCK PHOTOGRAPHS of THE CAGLIARI GULF

"And suddenly there is Cagliari: a naked town rising steep, steep, golden looking, piled naked to the sky from the plain and the head of the formless hollow bay. It is strange and rather wonderful, not a bit like Italy." Such was D.H. Lawrence's first impression of Cagliari upon arrival by sea from Sicily. The city's centro storico hasn't changed much since his visit in the early 1920's but devastatingly destructive World War 2 bombing and decades of subsequent construction work has altered the skyline significantly, not necessarily always in the most attractive .... festivals and if you are lucky enough to be able to plan your visit to coincide with one of these celebrations, especially the Festa di Sant'Efisio, the patron saint of Cagliari, ... traditional costumes and decorated carts drawn by fashionably dressed oxen moving in procession to nearby Pula

The island has Neolithic origins but was later occupied by the Phoenicians, Carthaginians and Romans and traces of history are all about the capital and its surrounding area, especially at Nora with its well known ruins... San Saturnino church ... Pisan and Genoan control. Also in the lower part of town is the San Benedetto market ... sight of paella being offered for sale is a reminder that the Spanish occupied the island from the late 13th century until they were ousted in the War of the Spanish Succession in the early 18th century.

... this viewpoint you can wander off and explore the Castello area beginning with what appears to be a Pisan-Lucchese Romanesque Cathedral which visitors are surprised to find is ... Governor's Palace, once the palace of the Piedmontese kings of Sardinia ... nuraghi for which the island is famous. Nearby are two towers Torre San Pancrazio and at the bottom of Via dell'Universita, Torre dell'Elefante built in 14th century which from part of the old city defensive walls history Pisans and Genoese. Going back further in time is the Anfiteatro Romano, hewn from solid rock nearly two millennia ago to accommodate ...Villasimius and Capo Carbonara to the extreme south eastern tip of the island ....distinctive warning towers that echo the shape of the much older nuraghi one or two of which can also be found in this area. In Villasimius itself the 3000 or so population swells as over 60,000 visitors congregate here to enjoy the translucent sea, not quite the sort of Sea and Sardinia that D.H. Lawrence had written about...

© John Heseltine