| Cagliari | |||
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| — Comune — | |||
| Comune di Cagliari | |||
| A montage showing different parts and features of the city of Cagliari | |||
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Cagliari
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| Coordinates: | |||
| Country | Italy | ||
| Region | Sardinia | ||
| Province | Cagliari (CA) | ||
| Frazioni | Pirri | ||
| Government | |||
| • Mayor | Massimo Zedda (SEL) | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 85.45 km2 (33 sq mi) | ||
| Elevation | 4 m (13 ft) | ||
| Population (30 November 2010) | |||
| • Total | 156,560 | ||
| • Density | 1,832.2/km2 (4,745.3/sq mi) | ||
| Demonym | Cagliaritani | ||
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | ||
| Postal code | 09100 | ||
| Dialing code | 070 | ||
| Patron saint | St. Saturninus | ||
| Saint day | October 30 | ||
| Website | Official website | ||
Cagliari (Italian: [ˈkaʎʎari] ( listen); Sardinian: Casteddu) is the capital of the island of Sardinia, a region of Italy. Cagliari's Sardinian name Casteddu literally means castle. It has about 156,000 inhabitants, or about 480,000 including the outlying townships (metropolitan area): Elmas, Assemini, Capoterra, Selargius, Sestu, Monserrato, Quartucciu, Quartu Sant'Elena.
An ancient city with a long history, Cagliari has seen the rule of several civilizations. It was the capital of the Kingdom of Sardinia (which in the 1861 became the Kingdom of Italy) from 1324 to 1720 and from 1798 to 1815. Seat of the important University of Cagliari and the Primate Roman Catholic archdiocese of Sardinia,[1] the city is an important regional cultural, educational, political and artistic centre, known for its diverse Art Nouveau architecture and several monuments.[2] It is also Sardinia's economic and industrial hub, having one of the biggest ports in the Mediterranean sea, an international airport, and the 28th highest income rate in Italy, comparable to several Northern cities, such as Turin, Vicenza and Genoa.[3]
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Cagliari has been inhabited since ancient times. It occupies a favourable position between the sea and a fertile plain, and is surrounded by two swamps (which afforded defences from enemies from inner lands) and is close to high and green mountains (to which people could evacuate if everything else was lost). Some testimonies of prehistoric inhabitants were found in Monte Claro and in Cape Sant'Elia.
Under the name of Karalis it was established around the 7th century BC as one of a string of Phoenician colonies in Sardinia, including Tharros. Its foundation is expressly assigned to its opportune situation for communication with Africa as well as its excellent port, it doubtless assumed under their government the same important position it occupied under the Romans. It passed with the rest of the island first to the control of Carthage and then to Rome in 238 BC when the Romans defeated the Carthaginians. No mention of it is found on the occasion of the Roman conquest of the island; but during the Second Punic War, it was the headquarters of the praetor, T. Manlius, from whence he carried on his operations against Hampsicora and the Carthaginians,[4] and appears on other occasions also as the chief naval station of the Romans in the island, and the residence of the praetor.[5]
Florus calls it the urbs urbinum, or capital of Sardinia, and represents it as taken and severely punished by Gracchus,[6] but this statement is wholly at variance with the account given by Livy, of the wars of Gracchus, in Sardinia, according to which the cities were faithful to Rome, and the revolt was confined to the mountain tribes.[7] In the Civil War between Caesar and Pompey, the citizens of Caralis were the first to declare in favor of the former, an example soon followed by the other cities of Sardinia;[8] and Caesar himself touched there with his fleet on his return from Africa.[9] A few years later, when Sardinia fell into the hands of Menas, the lieutenant of Sextus Pompeius, Caralis was the only city which offered any resistance, but was taken after a short siege.[10]
Cagliari continued to be regarded as the capital of the island under the Roman Empire, and though it did not become a colony, its inhabitants obtained the rights of Roman citizens.[11] A Christian community is attested in Cagliari at least as early as the 3rd century, and by the end of the century the city had a Christian bishop. In the middle decades of the 4th century the bishop Lucifer of Cagliari developed the so-called Luciferian heresy. He was banished to the desert of Thebais by the emperor Constantius.[12]
After the fall of the Western Empire Cagliari fell, together with the rest of Sardinia, into the hands of the Vandals, but appears to have retained its importance throughout the Middle Ages.
Claudian describes the ancient city as extending to a considerable length towards the promontory or headland, the projection of which sheltered its port: the latter affords good anchorage for large vessels; but besides this, which is only a well-sheltered road-stead, there is adjoining the city a large salt-water lake, or lagoon, called the Stagno di Cagliari, communicating by a narrow channel with the bay, which appears from Claudian to have been used in ancient times as an inner harbor or basin.[13] The promontory adjoining the city is evidently that noticed by Ptolemy (Κάραλις πόλις καὶ ἄκρα), but the Caralitanum Promontorium of Pliny can be no other than the headland, now called Capo Carbonara, which forms the eastern boundary of the Gulf of Cagliari, and the southeast point of the whole island. Immediately off it lay the little island of Ficaria,[14] now called the Isola dei Cavoli.
Subsequently ruled in turn by the Vandals and the Byzantine Empire, Cagliari became the eponymous capital of an independent kingdom or giudicato, ruled by a giudice or judike (literally "judge"). However, there is some evidence that during this period of independence from external rule, the city was deserted because it was too exposed to attacks by Moorish pirates from the sea. Apparently many people left Caralis and founded a new town (named Santa Igia) in an area close to the Santa Gilla swamp on the west of Cagliari, but relatively distant from the sea. The giudicato of Cagliari comprised a large area of the Campidano plain, the mineral resources of the Sulcis region and the mountain region of Ogliastra. There were other three independent and autonomous giudicati in Sardinia: Logudoro (or Torres) in the northwest, Gallura in the northeast, and in the east the most famous, the long-lived Giudicato of Arborea, with Oristano as its capital.
In 1089, Constantine Salusio de Lacon appeared with the title of rex et iudex Caralitanus ("King and Judge of Cagliari").
During the 11th century, the Republic of Pisa began to extend his political influence over the giudicato of Cagliari. Pisa and the other maritime republic of Genoa had a keen interest in Sardinia because it was a perfect strategic base for controlling the commercial routes between Italy and North Africa.
In 1215 the Pisan Lamberto Visconti, giudice of Gallura, obtained by force from the Torchitorio IV of Cagliari and his wife Benedetta the mount located east of Santa Igia. Soon (1216/1217) Pisan merchants founded in this mount a new fortified city that will be known as "Castel di Castro", which can be considered as the ancestor of the modern city of Cagliari. Some of the fortifications that still surround the current district of Castello (Casteddu 'e susu in the Sardinian language) were built by the Pisans, most notably the two remaining white limestone towers designed by architect Giovanni Capula (originally there were three towers that guarded the three gates that gave access to the district). Together with the district of Castello, Castel di Castro comprised the districts of Marina (which included the port) and later Stampace and Villanova. Marina and Stampace were guarded by walls, while Villanova, which mainly hosted peasants, was not.
In 1258 after the defeat of the William III, the last giudice of Cagliari, the Pisans and their Sardinian allies (Arborea, Gallura and Logudoro) destroyed the old capital of Santa Igia. The Giudicato of Cagliari was divided into three parts: the northwest third, went to Gallura; the centre was incorporated into Arborea; the region of Sulcis and Iglesiente, on the west, were given to the Pisan della Gherardesca family, while the Republic of Pisa maintained the control over his colony of Castel di Castro.
During the 14th century the Kingdom of Aragon conquered Cagliari (Castel di Castro) after a battle against the Pisans. When Sardinia was finally conquered by the Catalan-Aragonese army, Cagliari (Castel de Càller or simply Càller in Catalan) became the administrative capital of the newborn Kingdom of Sardinia, one of the many kingdoms forming the Crown of Aragon, which later came under the rule of the Spanish Empire. However, due to the increasing importance of the Americas within the Spanish Empire, Sardinia and Cagliari lost importance.
The kings of Aragon, and later the kings of Spain, were represented in Cagliari by a viceroy.
In 1718,[15] after a brief rule of the Austrian Habsburgs, Cagliari and Sardinia came under the House of Savoy. As ruler of Sardinia, the Savoys took the title of kings of the Sardinian kingdom. The Sardinian kingdom comprised Savoy and Nice (currently in France), Piedmont and Liguria, as well as Sardinia. Although Sardinian by name, the kingdom had its capital in Turin, in mainland Italy, where the Savoys resided. The parliament was also in Turin and its members were mainly aristocrats from Piedmont or the mainland.
In the late 18th century, during the Napoleonic wars, France tried to conquer Cagliari because of its strategic role in the Mediterranean sea. A French army landed on the Poetto beach and moved towards Cagliari, but the French were defeated by Sardinians who decided to defend themselves against the revolutionary army. People from Cagliari hoped to receive some concession from the Savoys in return for their defending the town: for example, aristocrats from Cagliari asked for a Sardinian representative in the parliament of the kingdom. When the Savoys refused any concession to the Sardinians, inhabitants of Cagliari rose up against the Savoys and expelled all representatives of the kingdom and people from Piedmont. This insurgence is celebrated in Cagliari during the "Die de sa Sardigna" (Sardinian Day) on the last weekend of April. However the Savoys regained control of the town after a brief period of autonomous rule.
From the 1870s, with the unification of Italy, the city experienced a century of rapid growth. Many outstanding buildings were erected by the end of the 19th century during the office of Mayor Ottone Bacaredda. Many of these buildings combined influences from Art Nouveau together with the traditional Sardinian taste for flower decoration: an example is the white marble City Hall near the port. Ottone Bacaredda is also famous for the violent repression of one of the earlier worker strikes in the beginning of the 20th century.
During World War II Cagliari was heavily bombed by the Allies in February 1943. In order to escape from the bombardments and the misery of the destroyed town, many people left Cagliari and moved to the country or rural villages, often living with friends and relatives in overcrowded houses. This flight from the town is known as "sfollamento" (deserting).
After the Italian armistice with the Allies in September 1943, the German Army took control of Cagliari and the island, but soon retreated peacefully in order to reinforce their positions in mainland Italy. The American Army then took control of Cagliari. Cagliari was strategically important during the war because of its location in the Mediterranean Sea. Many airports were near Cagliari (Elmas, Monserrato, Decimomannu, currently a NATO airbase) from which airplanes could fly to Northern Africa or mainland Italy and Sicily.
After the war, the population of Cagliari rebounded and many apartment blocks were erected in new residential districts, often created with poor planning as for recreational areas.
In the last years a great urban development was started in Cagliari. New projects include the new Betile museum for Nuragic and modern art, designed by the Prizker Award winner Zaha Hadid: it will rise on the Sant'Elia promenade. Another already started project is the Cagliari metro: the first line is already running from Piazza Repubblica to Monserrato, one of Cagliari suburbs, and will be soon connected to the University campus; works for other lines to all the city suburbs and the airport will be soon started. The promenade from the old harbour to Sant'Elia will be totally restored. The old port in Via Roma, now to be used only as tourist and cruise port (where the cruise terminal is already finished), will be closed to ferry-boats, which will be moved to the new port in "porto canale".
All Sant'elia district will be changed, the old ruined apartment buildings will be demolished and a new district designed by Rem Koolhaas will rise. Also the Stadium will be demolished and rebuilt as a new stadium, with 25,000 covered seats, usable for concerts and events too. On the promenade will also rise a great amphitheatre (20,000 seats) for concerts, as well as an aquarium where now is the old salt production plant. Other projects include the new district near the Santa Gilla pond (Piazza Santa Gilla), a luxurious beauty-center on the Poetto beach, where now is the old abandoned "Marino" hospital, the new university campus, designed by Paulo Mendes da Rocha, and the new "Parco della musica", a great park with an amphitheatre and fountains, channels and water-games, between T-hotel and the Civic Theatre; the latter will be finished by the end of the year, while the other works will be finished by 2010–2011.
Cagliari has a Mediterranean climate, with hot, dry summers and very mild winters. Its climate is comparable to that of Adelaide, but it is often refreshed by north-westerly winds.
| Climate data for Cagliari | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °C (°F) | 14.2 (57.6) |
14.7 (58.5) |
16.1 (61.0) |
18.4 (65.1) |
22.3 (72.1) |
26.6 (79.9) |
29.6 (85.3) |
29.8 (85.6) |
26.9 (80.4) |
22.8 (73.0) |
18.2 (64.8) |
15.1 (59.2) |
21.23 (70.21) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 10.0 (50.0) |
10.5 (50.9) |
11.7 (53.1) |
13.8 (56.8) |
17.3 (63.1) |
21.4 (70.5) |
24.1 (75.4) |
24.5 (76.1) |
22.0 (71.6) |
18.3 (64.9) |
13.9 (57.0) |
11.0 (51.8) |
16.54 (61.77) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 5.7 (42.3) |
6.2 (43.2) |
7.2 (45.0) |
9.1 (48.4) |
12.3 (54.1) |
16.1 (61.0) |
18.6 (65.5) |
19.1 (66.4) |
17.0 (62.6) |
13.7 (56.7) |
9.5 (49.1) |
6.8 (44.2) |
11.78 (53.20) |
| Rainfall mm (inches) | 45.8 (1.803) |
57.1 (2.248) |
44.1 (1.736) |
37.1 (1.461) |
23.9 (0.941) |
9.2 (0.362) |
3.2 (0.126) |
8.5 (0.335) |
30.6 (1.205) |
55.6 (2.189) |
56.0 (2.205) |
55.3 (2.177) |
426.4 (16.787) |
| Avg. rainy days (≥ 1.0 mm) | 7.9 | 7.6 | 7.1 | 5.9 | 3.6 | 1.6 | 0.5 | 1.2 | 3.8 | 6.3 | 8.3 | 8.4 | 62.2 |
| Sunshine hours | 136.4 | 139.2 | 186.0 | 213.0 | 269.7 | 288.0 | 334.8 | 310.0 | 246.0 | 198.4 | 147.0 | 127.1 | 2,595.6 |
| Source: World Meteorological Organization (UN),[16] Hong Kong Observatory[17] for data of sunshine hours | |||||||||||||
Cagliari is the "greenest" Italian city,[18] thanks to its low level of smog and its several parks including the "Regional Park of Molentargius", where particular species of flora and fauna such as the Phoenicopterus ruber, Ardea purpurea, Himantopus himantopus etc. can be observed. Major parks of the city include:
In addition it is the home of the Monumental Cemetery of Bonaria, recognised as one of the significant cemeteries in Europe . Some mountain parks, such as Monte Arcosu or Maidopis, with large forests and wildlife (Sardinian deer, wild boars, etc.) are located near the city.
The main beach of Cagliari is the Poetto. It stretches for about eight kilometers, from Sella del Diavolo (the Devil's Saddle) up to the coastline of Quartu Sant'Elena. Poetto is also the name of the district located on the western stretch of the strip between the beach and Saline di Molentargius (Molentargius's Salt Mine). Another smaller beach is that of Calamosca near the Sant'Elia district.
Cagliari is close to other beautiful seaside locations, such as Maddalena Beach, Chia or Villasimius, still relatively unspoilt by tourism.
| Historical populations | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
| 1861 | 37,243 | — |
| 1871 | 37,135 | −0.3% |
| 1881 | 43,472 | +17.1% |
| 1901 | 61,678 | +41.9% |
| 1911 | 70,132 | +13.7% |
| 1921 | 73,024 | +4.1% |
| 1931 | 92,689 | +26.9% |
| 1936 | 97,996 | +5.7% |
| 1951 | 130,511 | +33.2% |
| 1961 | 173,540 | +33.0% |
| 1971 | 211,377 | +21.8% |
| 1981 | 219,648 | +3.9% |
| 1991 | 204,237 | −7.0% |
| 2001 | 164,249 | −19.6% |
| 2010 (Est.) | 156,488 | −4.7% |
| Source: ISTAT 2001 | ||
In 2007, there were 158,041 people residing in Cagliari, of whom 46.7% were male and 53.3% were female. Minors (children ages 18 and younger) totalled 13.36 percent of the population compared to pensioners who number 21.87 percent. This compares with the Italian average of 18.06 percent (minors) and 19.94 percent (pensioners). The average age of Cagliari residents is 46 compared to the Italian average of 42. In the five years between 2002 and 2007, the population of Cagliari declined by 3 percent, while Italy as a whole grew by 3.56 percent.[19] The current birth rate of Cagliari is 6 births per 1,000 inhabitants compared to the Italian average of 9.45 births. This trend is proportionally inverse with Cagliari metropolitan areas and suburbs, where most younger families move.
As of 2009, 96.91% of the population was Italian while the largest immigrant group came from East Asia and other European nations mostly from Ukraine and Romania.[20] The overwhelming majority of persons are Roman Catholic.
Between the 1980s and the 1990s the population of Cagliari was around 220,000. During this period four municipal districts became autonomous municipalities with some local referendums. So, due to the separation of Quartucciu (12,527 inhabitants in 2009[21]) in 1983, Elmas (8,977 inhabitants in 2009[21]) in 1989, Monserrato (20,603 inhabitants in 2009[21]) and Selargius (29,099 inhabitants in 2009[21]) in 1991, Cagliari passed from circa 220,000 to 160,000 residents. Without this detachment the municipal population of Cagliari could be of 228,347.
The metropolitan area of Cagliari totals a population of c. 369,000 inhabitants .
| Comune | Area (km²) | Population(1) |
|---|---|---|
| Cagliari | 85.45 | 157,146 |
| Assemini | 117.50 | 26,743 |
| Capoterra | 68.25 | 23,841 |
| Elmas | 13.70 | 8,972 |
| Monserrato | 6.50 | 20,585 |
| Quartucciu | 27.87 | 12,600 |
| Quartu Sant'Elena | 96.20 | 71.360 |
| Selargius | 26.71 | 29,065 |
| Sestu | 48.32 | 19,551 |
| Total | 490.50 | 369,862 |
The conurbation area of Cagliari who include the metropolitan area plus the comuni of : Pula, Villa San Pietro, Sarroch, Villaspeciosa, Uta, Decimoputzu, Villasor, Serramanna, Nuraminis, Monastir, San Sperate, Ussana, Serdiana, Dolianova, Sinnai, Maracalagonis, Soleminis reach a population of almost 500.000 individuals .
The old part of the city (called Castello, the castle) lies on top of a hill, with a wonderful view of the Gulf of Cagliari (also known as Angels Gulf). Most of its city walls are intact, and feature the two 13th century white limestone towers, St. Pancras Tower and the Elephant Tower. The local white limestone was also used to build the walls of the city and many buildings. D. H. Lawrence, in his lively memoir of a voyage to Sardinia, Sea and Sardinia, undertaken in January 1921, described the effect of the warm Mediterranean sun-light on the white limestone city and compared Cagliari to a "white Jerusalem". The city is said to be built on seven hills (Sant'Elia, Bonaria, Monte Urpinu, Castello, Monte Claro, Tuvixeddu and San Michele).
Saint Remy Bastion (The following is a direct translation of the entry in the Italian version of Wikipedia): The Promenade Deck and the Terrazza Umberto I, the latter built on the old ramparts of the Spur, were designed in 1896 by engineer Joseph Costa and Fulgenzio Setti. The entire building is in the classical style, with Corinthian columns, and was built of white and yellow limestone. It was opened in 1901. The staircase with two flights, by which you enter from Constitution Square, is interrupted in a covered walkway, and ends beneath the Arc de Triomphe, in the Terrazza Umberto I. In 1943, during the Second World War, the staircase and the Arch of Triumph were severely damaged by aerial bombardment, but after the war were faithfully reconstructed.
From the Terrazza Umberto I, accessed via a short flight of steps, is the Bastion of Santa Caterina, where there was an old Dominican convent, destroyed by fire in 1800. It is said that in the austere surroundings of the monastery, the conspiracy to kill the Viceroy Camarassa in 1668, the most dramatic episode of blood in the history of the city under Spanish rule, was laid.
The Promenade Deck, since it was inaugurated in 1902, has been variously used. At first it was used as a banqueting hall, then during the First World War was used as an infirmary. In the thirties, during the period of sanctions, it was an exhibition of autarchy. During the Second World War it was used as a shelter for displaced people whose homes had been destroyed by bombs. In 1948 it hosted the first Trade Fair of Sardinia. After many years of neglect, the Promenade was restored and re-evaluated as a cultural space reserved especially for art exhibitions.
The Cathedral was restored in the 1930s turning the former Baroque façade into a Medieval Pisan style façade, more akin to the original appearance of the church from the 13th century. The bell tower is original. The interior has a nave and two aisles, with a pulpit (1159–1162)[23] sculpted for the Cathedral of Pisa but later donated to Cagliari. The crypt houses the remains of martyrs found in the Basilica of San Saturno (see below). Near the Cathedral is the palace of the Provincial Government (which used to be the island's governor's palace before 1900). In Castello is also the Sardinian Archaeological Museum, the biggest and most important regarding the prehistoric Nuragic civilisation of Sardinia. Finally, Castello hosts many craftsmen workshops in its tightened and scenic lanes.
The Basilica of San Saturnino is one of the most important Palaeo-Christian monuments in Sardinia. Dedicated to the martyr killed under Diocletian's reign, Saturninus of Cagliari (patron saint of the city), it was built in the 5th century. Of the original building the central part remain and the dome, to which two armes (one with a nave and two aisles) was added. A Palaeo-Christian crypt is also under the church of San Lucifero (1660), dedicated to Saint Lucifer, a bishop of the city. This has a Baroque façade with ancient columns and sculpted parts, some of which found in the nearby necropolis.
The Chiesa della Purissima is a church from the 16th century.
The Sanctuary of Our Lady of Bonaria was built by the Catalans in 1324–1329 during the siege to the Castle in which the Pisans had taken shelter. It has a small Gothic portal in the façade while the interior houses a wooden statue of the Madonna, which was thrown off a Spanish ship and landed at the foot of the Bonaria hill. The cloister of the convent is home to the Marinery Museum.
The other early districts of the town (Marina, Stampace, Villanova) retain much of their original appeal and still seem to function as distinct villages within the town.
Considerable other remains of the ancient city are still visible at Cagliari, the most striking of which are those of the Roman Amphitheatre, carved into a block of rock (the typical limestone from which Cagliari is built), and of an aqueduct; the latter a most important acquisition to the city, where fresh water is scarce. There exist also 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. (Smyth's Sardinia, pp. 206, 215; Valery, Voyage en Sardaigne, c. 57.) The Amphitheatre still stages open-air operas and concerts during the summer.
The districts built in the 1930s sport some nice examples of Art Deco architecture and some 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.
Cagliari has one of the longest beaches in Italy. The Poetto beach stretches for 13 km and was famous for its white fine-grained sand. A recent controversial intervention to save the beach from erosion has slightly altered the original texture of the sand.
Cagliari is the main commercial and industrial center of the island, with many major Italian factories within its provincial boundaries. The Macchiareddu-Grogastru area between Cagliari and Capoterra (in conjunction with the industrial port of Giorgino) is one of the most important industrial areas of Sardinia. Cagliari also has one of the largest fish markets in all of Italy with a vast array of fish for sale to both the public and trade. The communications provider Tiscali has its headquarters in town, and Cagliari also has one of the biggest container terminals on the Mediterranean sea. Many multinational corporations like Coca Cola, Heineken, Unilever, Bridgestone and Eni Group have factories in town. Tourism is also one of the major industries of the city, with cruise ships touring the Mediterranean often making Cagliari a stop off for passengers.
Cagliari, with an average per capita income of 22.226 euro, has an economic level comparable to that of the northern and central Italian cities.[24]
Cagliari is home to the football team Cagliari Calcio, winner of the Italian league championship in 1970, with the team led by Gigi Riva. Cagliari is an ideal location for water sports such as surfing, kitesurfing, windsurfing and sailing due to strong and reliable favourable winds. Hiking is also popular.
Sport venues in Cagliari include:
Cagliari is home of the University of Cagliari, the first university in Sardinia, founded in 1620. Cagliari has some peculiar gastronomic traditions. Many dishes are based on the wide variety of fish and sea food available, for example, burrida. Although it is possible to trace influences from Spanish cuisine, Cagliaritanian food has a distinctive and unique character. Very good wines are also part of Cagliaritanians' dinners: excellent wines are in fact produced in the nearby vineyards of the Campidano plain.
Life in Cagliari has been vividly depicted by Sergio Atzeni, who set many of his novels and short stories, such as Bakunin's Son, in ancient and modern Cagliari.
The Basilica of Bonaria in Cagliari gives its name to Buenos Aires. The Spaniard who founded Buenos Aires visited the church of Bonaria (fair winds) and asked for help from the Mary of Bonaria, to whom the church is dedicated. The church faces the sea and was allegedly built where a sailor landed after the Mary of Bonaria appeared in the midst of a tempest and saved the sailor and his ship from sinking.
It is the seat of the Archdiocese of Cagliari.
The main opera house of Sardinia, Teatro Lirico, has its quarters in Cagliari.[25]
Cagliari is a tourist city, and especially in summer a lot of clubs and pubs are goals for youth and tourists, pubs and night-clubs are concentrated in the Corso Vittorio Emanuele II, a narrow street in Stampace district, Marina district, near to the port and Castello district, as for clubs they are mostly on the Poetto beach (in summer), or in Viale Marconi (in winter).
Consulates located in Cagliari:
Cagliari is twinned with:
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Media related to Cagliari at Wikimedia Commons
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