WHAT TO VISIT AROUND THE RESIDENCE (AND BEYOND)
Some brief information on what can be found near the residence. For detailed information on events and activities, please visit Sardegna turismo
Porta Cristina e torre di San Pancrazio
Cattedrale di Santa Maria
MONUMENTS
Next to the Dimora Madonna della Speranza, you can admire the beautiful Baroque cathedral, rich in marble and valuable works.
For visits and information see the website
A scenic and majestic building from the early 20th century stands in the historic centre of Cagliari, one of the symbols of Sardinia’s capital city, which has served various functions over the decades. The bastion can be reached in a few minutes on foot from the residence, or by using the lifts located a short distance away. At the foot of the bastion are Cagliari’s shopping streets, Via Garibaldi and Via Manno, and numerous places to enjoy an excellent aperitif or dinner.
The ancient bastion of Spanish construction affords a spectacular view of the western portion of the urban area and of the adjacent Stampace district with the domes of its churches (Sant’Anna, Sant’Efisio, San Michele and Santa Restituta) and the great bulk of the San Giovanni di Dio Civil Hospital, built in the mid-19th century to a design by Gaetano Cima. It is in the vicinity of the Torre dell’Elefante, a few minutes’ walk from the residence. Along the bastion you can find places where you can have an excellent aperitif or dinner while admiring the beautiful panorama.
Palazzo Civico is an early 20th-century, Aragonese Gothic building in white limestone, with Art Nouveau decorations, located in front of Cagliari’s harbour. The monument can be reached by a pleasant walk through Via Manno, which is one of Cagliari’s shopping streets.
The same age and almost identical, built to defend the Pisan fortified citadel from Aragonese aims, they stand out in their majesty as symbols of the Castello district that was the centre of political, military and religious power in Cagliari. The two towers of San Pancrazio (37 metres high) and dell’Elefante (so called due to the presence above the entrance gate of a statuette depicting an elephant) were erected in 1305 and 1307 respectively, to provide the city with an adequate defence system. They are only a few minutes’ walk from the residence.
La chiesa di San Michele (sita nella via Ospedale, raggiungibile in 10 minuti a piedi dalla Dimora) è la storica sede cagliaritana dell’ordine dei Gesuiti, composta da tre edifici, nonché la principale testimonianza dell’arte barocca nel capoluogo della Sardegna; la chiesa di Sant’Anna (sita nella via Azuni, subito attaccata alla via Ospedale) con la sua scalinata, incastonata tra le strette stradine del quartiere di Stampace, è uno degli scorci più scenografici del centro città. La chiesa di Sant’Anna si presenta oggi in stile barocco recente, la sua origine, però, risale probabilmente al XIII secolo.
Not very close to the residence, but within easy reach, are some interesting archaeological sites: l’anfiteatro romano, villa di Tigellio (currently not visitable but visible from outside), grotta della Vipera, nostra Signora di Bonaria with the cimitero monumentale.
Cittadella dei Musei
Palazzo Regio
MUSEUMS
The Archaeological Museum is located in the ancient district of Castello, a five-minute walk from the Dimora, inside the Cittadella dei Musei built between 1956 and 1979 with the renovation of the Royal Arsenal and the medieval walls, designed by architects Libero Cecchini and Piero Gazzola.
It is the most important archaeological museum in Sardinia with more than 4,000 objects that tell a story spanning almost 7,000 years, from Prehistory to the Early Middle Ages, from Neolithic mother goddesses to Nuragic bronzes, from Phoenician and Punic jewellery to Roman statuary and Byzantine cult objects.
Galleria Comunale d’Arte is located in the splendid setting of the Public Gardens, a 10-minute walk from the Residence. The neoclassical main façade was built in 1828, based on a design by Carlo Boyl di Putifigari who worked on the original building of the Savoy Royal Powder Magazine, dating back to the late 1700s.
It was in the early 1930s that the building underwent new modifications to become the Art Gallery, Sardinia’s first civic museum, inaugurated in 1933. On that occasion, work on the building was entrusted to the Cagliari designer Ubaldo Badas.
New restoration works, on the occasion of the display of Francesco Paolo Ingrao’s collection, gave the Gallery its current configuration.
La Galleria Comunale d’Arte sorge all’interno dello splendido scenario dei Giardini Pubblici, a 10 minuti a piedi dalla Dimora. Il prospetto principale neoclassico è stato realizzato nel 1828, su progetto di Carlo Boyl di Putifigari che intervenne sull’originario fabbricato della Polveriera regia sabauda, risalente alla fine del 1700.
È all’inizio degli anni Trenta del secolo scorso che l’edificio subisce delle nuove modifiche per divenire Galleria d’Arte, primo museo civico della Sardegna, inaugurato nel 1933. In quella occasione i lavori di sistemazione dell’edificio furono affidati al progettista cagliaritano Ubaldo Badas.
Nuovi lavori di restauro, in occasione dell’allestimento della collezione di Francesco Paolo Ingrao, hanno dato alla Galleria l’attuale configurazione.
Musei Civici di Cagliari – the Galleria Comunale d’Arte, Palazzo di Città and Museo d’Arte Siamese Stefano Cardu – are all within easy walking distance of the residence. In addition to beautiful permanent exhibitions, there are also interesting temporary exhibitions.
A stone’s throw from the residence, next to the Cathedral, you can admire the Palazzo Regio, restored to its former glory with the restoration of the façade, which has returned to its original colour: antique red.
Spiaggia del Poetto vista dalla Sella del diavolo
BEACHES
With a pleasant 10-minute walk, you reach Via Roma and from there you can take the PF and PQ lines that in 10 minutes take you to the beautiful Poetto city beach, eight kilometres of coastline between Cagliari and Quartu Sant’Elena: soft sand, blue sea, relaxation, fun and sport. There are plenty of kiosks where you can enjoy a coffee, an aperitif or dinner by the sea.
From Piazza Matteotti, which can be reached on foot in a 15-minute walk or by bus, taking the number 8 in the nearby Piazza Yenne, there are buses connecting the capital with other beautiful holiday resorts.
MOVIDA
Cagliari’s nightlife unfolds between Castello, Marina and Stampace, Cagliari’s most important districts.
If during the day there is no shortage of things to see in Cagliari, including monuments, beaches, exhibitions and nature parks, in the evening you can take time to relax with a good glass of wine or a good local craft beer and plenty of good food.
The Castello district, the oldest in the city, the heart of the historic centre and home to the Dimora, together with the Marina and Stampare, is home to numerous trendy nightclubs that can be discovered simply by strolling and wandering through the narrow streets.
Even the Poetto beach, especially in summer, offers a series of kiosks where you can admire the sea and enjoy a coffee, a drink or a local speciality.
Parco di Monte Urpinu
Pavone
PARKS AND GREEN ZONES
The Molentargius area, once the salt mining activity was closed in 1985, was redeveloped and transformed into what is now one of the richest sites for bird species in the whole of Sardinia. The Molentargius pond is the most important site in the Mediterranean basin for nesting flamingos. In addition to hosting a wide variety of habitats and species of community importance, the park still retains traces of its past as evidenced by the fascinating early 20th century buildings of the Salt City and the old industrial machinery.
You can tour the park on foot, or you can rent a bicycle, and ride around the interior of the park in search of the best spot to admire the beautiful and colourful flamingos. One must be careful to respect nature and a few simple rules not to disturb the local fauna.
You can also visit the park by boat or electric minibus, supported by the explanations of the guide on board, who will answer your questions.
The Botanical Garden of Cagliari, stands on an archaeological area between the Roman Amphitheatre, the Capuchin Garden (in which there is a quarry used for the construction of the Amphitheatre, later used as a prison and finally as a cistern) and the so-called Villa di Tigellio, an archaeological area with the remains of several Roman domus and a coeval thermal building. The Garden houses three well-preserved bottle cisterns from the Roman period, one of which can be visited, several tanks of probable Roman origin and an almost certainly more recent well. The garden is bordered by the Roman Amphitheatre along the north-east side in the upper part of the valley, by the University Department of Economics and Business to the north, by S. Ignazio da Laconi Avenue along the north and west sides and by the Civil Hospital along the east and south-east sides.
Easily accessible by bus, the Monte Urpinu city park is a large green area in the heart of the city, characterised by several artificial bodies of water populated by turtles, ducks and swans, while in the surrounding areas it is possible to encounter specimens of geese and chickens, as well as the now traditional peacocks, the park’s symbol par excellence in the city’s imagination.
With a pleasant half-hour walk, or by taking bus number 8 in the nearby Via Porcell (corner of Via dei Genovesi), you reach the city’s largest and busiest park (25 hectares): the Monte Claro park.
Reachable by two buses, the San Michele Park is located at the top of the hill of the same name, and has within it the Castle of San Michele, from which it was possible to dominate the Campidano plain for tens of kilometres.
The Capuchin Garden was created in 1595 by the Order’s monks and was used for the cultivation of medicinal plants needed by the nearby convent. Since 2016 it has been reopened to the public.