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Join this tour during which you will visit the historic districts of this town rich in culture and history. Start the walking tour of about 2 hours, from the top of the hills down to the alleys. A guide will accompany you to visit the monuments, churches, and most important places, such as the Royal Palace, the Dome of Cagliari, and other small churches, the Pisan Walls and Towers.
In Cagliari, monuments and historic sites aren't open to visitors every day. The opening times may vary from place to place, and some of these monuments may be closed without prior notice, due to exclusive events or essential ceremonies.
Upon previous request, we will be able to drive you to Poetto Beach and the picturesque San Benedetto's Market (in this case, the tour of the city center will be shorter).
The same itinerary is also offered by the car, as a hop on and hop off tour for the ones that prefer not to walk (in this case it won't be possible to visit the monuments inside with our guide).
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The building dates back to the fourteenth century, and it became the seat of the Viceroy since 1337, on orders of Peter IV of Aragon. The palace underwent several changes, the Piedmontese engineers de Guibert and de Vincenti, who built the main staircase leading to the first floor. In 1735, Della Vallea was the author of the first floor's restoration works (“piano nobile”). The façade overlooking west, with the main gate perfectly aligned to the staircase, was restored in 1769, the same date written in the inscription on the French window's lunette that opens onto the central balcony. The royal family, exiled from Turin, which was occupied by Napoleon, settled there from 1799 to 1815. In 1885, the building became the representative seat of the Province, which immediately began the renovation works. The Council Room's decorative works were committed respectively to Domenico Bruschi from Perugia for the frescoes and to Angeletti for the stuccoes.
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At the beginning of the fourteenth century, Pisa, in response to the threatening Aragon rise in the Mediterranean Sea, erected impressive towers to reinforce its stronghold in the south of Sardinia. In 1535, Charles V, the powerful sovereign of the Holy Roman Empire, included them among Europe's best military works.
Completed in 1307, with its walls of thick limestone blocks, its narrow loopholes, and its heavy gates, the Elephant Tower protected the south-western side of Castello; developed on four levels with a total height of more than thirty meters, it was also an excellent lookout station against any possible attack from the sea.
Even today, it is one of the most striking accesses to Castello, while in the past, it was also used as a powder magazine, armory, and prison.
Restored to its original appearance, nowadays, the Elephant Tower is open to visitors by the entrance at the right side of the church of St. Joseph.
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The Saint Remy Rampart is to be numbered among Cagliari's most valuable monumental complexes. Built on the medieval boundary walls' ancient defensive curtains, it owes its name to the first Piedmontese Viceroy, Baron of Saint Remy. The majestic panoramic terrace and the underlying gallery was known as Passeggiata Coperta, was designed in 1896 by Giuseppe Costa e Fulgenzio Setti. The imposing structure, built in a classic style, with white and yellow limestone columns and corinthian capitals, was inaugurated in 1902. In 1943, the double flight of steps and the triumphal arch were gravely damaged by World War II bombings, but later, the destroyed parts were accurately reconstructed. Over time, the Passeggiata Coperta housed several activities. At first, the gallery was used as a banquet hall, but in the war, period served as an infirmary and later as a shelter for people displaced by the bombings.
In 1948, it housed the first edition of the International Trade Fair of Sardinia.
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Porta Cristina is an access gate to the Castello district that connects Buoncammino Avenue to Arsenale Square.
It was built according to the Porta Angelica model in Rome and is dedicated to Maria Cristina of Bourbon, wife of King Carlo Felice di Savoia.
In neoclassical style, according to a project by Count Carlo Pilo Boyl, approved by the king. Its lines present the open access arch between two pilasters that support an entablature delimited by two projecting cornices, within which it is placed a semi-circular lunette that has this dedicatory inscription:
“Karolus Felix Rex
viam planiorem brevioremque a Castro Caralis
ad portam arcis regiam aperuit
Maria Cristina Regina
Portae egressus in apertam viam nomen suum imposuit
MDCCCXXV
Januario Rotario regni praeside”
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