The fortress of Castello

Expected time (h:m):

2:30

Walk for:

3 km

Difficulty:

hard

The sea, from here, is barely visible. However, while walking with patience and curiosity, between the streets of Castello, you will admire panoramas of history and nobility. Original floors will hatch at the opening of the big wooden doors presenting coats of arms. Stuccoes on the ceilings could be peeked up through the open windows. Decaying buildings guard the sumptuous and forgotten past. On the ground floor of Lamarmora, Canelles and dei Genovesi streets, small shops are an invitation to linger, to enjoy quietly the sight of the local artisans’ fast and skilled hands and their creations

Elephant Tower

You cannot visit Cagliari, and omit to visit it. The Tower of the Elephant is a symbol of the city. Built in limestone blocks in 1307, designed by the architect Giovanni Capula, it protected the southwest side of the Castello. Developed on four levels, for a total height of 35 meters, it was also used as a powder keg, armoury and prison. It still represents one of the most picturesque sites of the city; also for the presence on the façade of a marble elephant -perhaps a symbol of maritime power of Pisa. - It has become the mascot of our app Hi Cagliari.

Phone number: 070.409.2306 / 070.667.0168

Fax number: 070.685.1832

E-mail: orientare@orientare.it

Website: www.beniculturalicagliari.it

This element belongs to the categories: Monuments, Historical Defensive Presidios, Towers

Opening hours:

Winter: Mon-Sun 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Summer (from Monday, May 11th, 2015): Mon-Sun 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Admission fees:

Adult: € 3,00;

Youth and groups over 15 people: € 2.00

School groups: € 1.00

Bastion of Santa Croce

At night, it is one of the stopovers of Cagliari nightlife. At day, the terrace of the Bastion of Santa Croce, located directly on what was at a time the main axis of the Jewish quarter, shows its ancient beauty, the comings and goings in Largo Carlo Felice and the sloping roofs of Stampace. To savour along with a famous local cocktail or with typical dishes revisited by skilled chefs. Seated at the table, or in an armchair, with the sky as ceiling.

Christina Door

A door for the Queen: it was erected in order that every pilgrim that would cross the door had a thought for her, Maria Cristina de Bourbon, wife of King Charles Felix of Savoy. The latin sculpted dedication signed by Domenico Franco confirms that Porta Cristina (Christina door) was built in 1825, under the request of the same sovereign and was designed by the Colonel Carlo Boy, which has been inspired by the Porta Angelica in Rome. The gate consists of an arc not too high and flanked by a low building. Its purpose was to shorten the pilgrimage to the Royal Gate, even this detail is confirmed by the epigraph. After having observed it (not from too close, given the robust transit of cars under its stones), it is worth making a stop at the nearby panoramic terrace with its view over Stampace, the first stop on Buoncammino Boulevard (Viale).

Latin dedication on the Porta Cristina:

Carolus Felix Rex Viam planiorem brevioremque Castro Caralis ad portam arcis Regiam aperuit Queen Maria Cristina

Doors Egressus in apertam Viam nomen imposuit MDCCCXXV suum.

Januario Rotario kingdoms Praeside

Citadel of Museums

Time is short, too short, and even to decide whether to visit quickly the integrity or thoroughly some sections of the Citadel of Museums’ collections. It houses the greatest artistic and archaeological heritage of Sardinia. Better to silence the confusion, take the easy road and pass through the great bronze portal that, during Savoy period, introduced at the Royal Arsenal, and begin: from history, preserved from the beginning in the National Archaeological Museum; to the figurative art, in the National Art Gallery; to an alternative route going through the Collection of Anatomical Wax Collection "Clemente Susini", the Ethnographic Museum Collection “Luigi Cocco” and the Siamese Art Museum "Stefano Cardu".

Opening hours:

From Tuesday to Sunday: 9 am to 8.00 pm
Closed on Monday

Saint Pancrazio Tower

Higher is impossible when it comes to the Torre di San Pancrazio (tower), with its 36 meters, breaking into the sky of Castello. Designed in 1305 by the architect Giovanni Capula, it is the highest of Cagliari. As its twin tower, the Torre dell’Elefante (tower of the elephant), it is made of Pietra Forte, a white limestone extracted from the Bonaria hill. Inside the three walls of three meters thick, are present various thin slits. The fourth side, opened, like most of the towers of Pisa, is directed towards the interior of the Castello, and exhibits galleries on the four floors of the tower. After its use as a defensive bastion, he had several functions, until the return to its original form implemented in 1906 by Dionigi Scano.

Piazza Palazzo Viewpoint

So small that it is hard to stand there on crowded days. However it is great and immense for the panorama that it offers. The terrace of the Piazza Palazzo (square), connected to the Terrapieno (Embankment) by a comfortable lift, is a cradle for the eyes. It embraces the whole north side of the city, the small and large suburban areas and presents waterfalls of capers forcing the rock to explode in a green flowered triumph. A fountain and benches invite to refreshment like the small outdoor coffee shops. It is another invitation to stop and stamp the beauty in your memory, even before than in a sacrosanct photo book.

Saint Mary Cathedral

The Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta and Santa Cecilia is the main place of worship of Cagliari. It is the seat of the archbishop of Cagliari and parish of the historic neighbourhood of the Castello. It occurs as the result of stratifications of diverse styles: it was built in the XIII century with a Pisan Romanesque style; it was then promoted to the rank of cathedral in 1258; and during the XVII and XVIII centuries it was renovated according to the canons of the Baroque style. The last intervention was the construction of the neo-Romanesque façade in the 1930s inspired by the Cathedral of Pisa.

Opening hours:

Winter timetable : 8.00 a.m. to 12.00 a.m. and 4.00 p.m. to 8.00 p.m.
Summer timetable: 8.00 a.m. to 8.00 p.m

Martyrs Crypt

The eternal sleep, dressed in marble and beauty. The Cripta dei Martiri (Crypt of the Martyrs), located under the presbytery of the Cattedrale di Santa Maria (St. Mary Cathedral) hides 179 relics of martyrs, distributed in small niches made according the will of Francisco de Esquivel (Archbishop of Cagliari from 1605 to 1624) in 1618 with the collaboration of the most renowned masters of Cagliari and Sicily. The main room is completely covered with coloured marble and topped by a low arch barrel vault, marked by panes bearing almost six hundred diamond heads and rosettes. The two side rooms, smaller in size and with a cross vault, are dedicated to St. Saturninus and St. Lucifer.

Phone number: 070663837

E-mail: cattedraledica@tiscali.it

Website: www.duomodicagliari.it

Umberto I viewpoint

Early in the morning, it is a bustle of backpacks and smocks. The terrace of Umberto I, one of the places offering the largest panoramic view of the Castello neighbourhood, constitutes the northernmost part of the Bastion of Saint Remy and of the square facing the elementary school. Easily accessible via the panoramic lift of the Viale Regina Elena (boulevard), it was devoted to defensive function since the Middle Ages, when it was supplemented by a curtain wall with two towers. In the XVI century they have built a bastion, known under various names including the Terraple de la Fontana Bona due to the presence of a fountain later also called "di Santa Caterina". The construction of the church with the same name has then followed with an adjoining monastery (XVII century).