This document provides recommendations for things to see and do in and around Cagliari, Sardinia, Italy. It suggests visiting the town of Parteolla and its wine producers, as well as the churches of Su Stani and Sibiolas. In San Sperate, it recommends exploring the public art, agriculture, and artisans, as well as over 400 murals. It provides many suggestions for cafes, restaurants, shopping, art galleries, music venues and outdoor activities in and around Cagliari. Day trips mentioned include Villasimius on the southeast coast for its beaches, as well as recommendations for exploring the protected marine area near Capo Carbonara.

1. S
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PARTEOLLA:
WINE,NATUREANDHISTORY
Ifyou'realoverofwine,cuisineat0kmand
thecountryside,there'saroadyoucantake
tosatisfyallthesedesires.Itleadsto
Parteolla,aregioninlowerCampidanothat
boastsamillenarytraditioninalimentary
productssuchasolives,wineandcheese.
OneofthemainplacesofinterestisSerdia-
na,asmalltown,whichishometothemuch
celebratedCantineArgiolas(wineproducer).
Visitsrequireareservation(www.argiolas.it)
andincludetastingoftheirexcellent,world-
renownedwines.
Inthesamearea,weadviseyoutopay
avisittotheSuStaniSaliupondand
theSibiolachurch.Anothercharming
townrichincultureisDolianova,with
itssuggestiveoldcentre,whereyou'll
findtheSanPantaleocathedral.
Forlunch,youcantopoffyourtripby
tastingthelocalgastronomical
products,immersedinnature,atSa
Colonia(www.sacolonia.eu),agrituri-
smointheheartoftheSantuMiali
forest.
SANSPERATE:MURALS,
ARTISANSANDFINECUISINE
WerecommendSanSperatetoeveryone,
butespeciallytoromanticsinsearchof
magicalplacesoffthebeatentrack.This
'museumtown'isrichinpublicart,agricul-
tureandartisans.ItscharacteristicCampi-
danesehousesandworksofartspreadout
acrosstheentireurbanfabric,forma
tapestryoftraditionalandcontemporary
elementsthatyouwon'tfindanywhereelse.
Thereareover400muralsandhundredsof
installationsandsculpturesbyartistsfrom
allovertheglobe.Pickupamapatthe
InfoPoint(viaRisorgimento,31),tohelpyou
findallpointsofinterest.
DAY
TRIPS
BREAKFAST&APERITIF
Youbegintoloveacitywhen,sittinginoneofits
cafés,youfeelwelcomedasifwereathome.In
Cagliaritherearemanycafésthatgiveyouthis
feeling.CafédeCandia(viadeCandia,3,Castel-
lo)isanidealspotforreading,orsimply
admiringthesunsetfromitsterrace.Itsinterior,
hollowedoutofthecliff,greetsyouwith
turquoisevelvetretrosofas,largemirrorsand
paintingsbywell-knownartists.Duringsummer
nightsinCastello,theterracesofLibarium(via
SantaCroce,33),CaffédegliSpiriti(Bastionedi
St.Remy)andCaffédelleArti(viadelFossario,1)
eachofferyouadifferentprospectiveoverthe
city'srooftops.
IfyoustopinatTramer(p.zaMartiri),youcan
trythemeringueslovedbyGramsci.Onvia
Dettori,themainstreetinMarina,you'llfinda
numberofcafésfrequentedbyyounglocals.
Tiffany(viaBaylle,133)isperfectforan
aperitif.AfterdinnerastopatCaféBarcellona
(viaBarcellona,84)isamust;itsParisianstyle
terracelendsitselftovariousoccasionsto
makenewacquaintances.InStampaceyoucan
stopinatCorsoDodici(c.soV.Emanuele,12),a
contemporary-stylebar,furnishedwithwooden
tablesandrecycledmaterials.No-onecandeny
thedelightofhomemadebaking;sowe'llfix
youupwithadeliciousbreakfast.Coccodi(via
S.Margherita,9)iswell-knownforitssweets,
aboveallitscupcakes.Theyalsohaveavast
selectionofteas.Areyoudreamingofabar
thatfacesasecludedlittlebay,whereyoucan
diveintocrystallinewaters?Ifso,LaPaillote
(Calamosca)istheplaceforyou.
MOUTH-WATERINGDELIGHTS
ThecentreofCagliariishometorestaurantsdear
tolocals,notonlyfortheirfood,butalsofortheir
livelyatmosphere,lowpricesandattentionto
detail,alsoinfurnishing.Weadviseyoueatat
leastonceatoneoftherestaurantsservinglocal
cuisineintheMarinaquarter.LaStelladiMonte-
cristo(viaSardegna,140)andLilliccu(viaSarde-
gna,78)areamongthemostpicturesque.Savour
theisland'sgastronomicspecialtiesatSabores
(vialeColombo,2)andSaporidiSardegna(Via
Baylle,6).You'llfinddeliciouspizzaatlowprices
atIlFantasma2(viaS.Domenico,77)andatAl
SolitoPosto(P.zaSanGiacomo,2),bothsetinthe
suggestiveatmosphereoftheVillanovaquarter.
ForaRomanstylepieceofpizza,gotoNansen
(c.soV.Emanuele,320).
Ifyou'reafoodconnoisseur,you'llwantto
checkoutCucina.eat(P.zzaGalilei,1),
restaurant/concept-storededicatedtofood
andwineofthehighestquality.Veganswilllove
LaTerradiMezzo(viaPortascalas,1)and
vegetariansGintilla(c.soV.Emanuele,210)
Zupposofia(viaFarina,22),withitsromantic
atmosphereandorganicsoupandsauce
specialties.Ifyou'relookingfortheperfect
hamburger,tryoutPolpaBurger(viaAngioy,
25),Retroburger(viaAzuni,98)andtheOld
Square(c.soV.Emanuele,46),thebestinthe
city.Doyourtastesspantheglobe?Inthatcase
don'tmissoutontheIndianTandoori(via
Angioy,25)northeNigerianWazobia(via
Iglesias,23).YoucanhaveFrenchcrepesat
ChezVictor(viaOspedale,42)andtapasat“Al
Andalus”(viaMameli,153/C).
NOTONLYSOUVENIRS
Abitofshoppingonyourtripisinevitable.
Withourtipsyou'llbeabletofindsomething
coolandoriginal,whilegettinggreatdeals.
Areyouintovintageandretrofurnishings?
ThengotoLoveRetro(viaSulis,26)and
FrodoeMaribel(viaOrlando,8).Ifyou'rethe
nostalgictypewithapassionforhats,check
outMartello(viaSassari,94),oneofthe
oldestandmostbeautifulshopsinCagliari.If
youwanttodelveintoaworldoflace,
porcelainandotherpeculiaraccessories,go
toLaBottegadelleMeraviglie(viaLamarmo-
ra,82).Doyouwanderfromcitytocityto
discoverthecreationsoflocaldesigners?
Thenthelovelyfamily-runboutiqueCoirami
(viaMazzini,36)willsurpassyourexpecta-
tions.Tramare(viadeiGenovesi,6)isagood
placetodiscoversomeoftheisland'sartistic
artisanproducts.
Fashionloverswillfindtheirsatisfactionat
Donne(viaSulis,30),aluxuryconcept-storein
theheartofVillanova,andNewYork(p.zza
Martiri,3),forthemoreyouthfulbrands(eg:
Lomo).Lookingforsneakers,backpacksand
'street'clothing?AtBertola(viaGaribaldi,134)
you'llfindeverythingyouneed,includingspray-
paint.Forsurfandskate-boardingequipment,
gotoWipeout(viaPola,10).AtFreakBrothers
(viaIglesias,12)you'llfindbandT-shirtsand
smokingparaphernalia.
CONTEMPORARY
CAGLIARI
Visitingthecity'sartgallerieswillgiveyoua
tasteofitsemergingartisticferment.
(In)visibile(viaBarcellona,75)isalittle
treasurechestthatholdssite-specificexhibi-
tions.GalleriaCapitol(p.zzaMartiri,10),
whichspecializesin20thcenturySardinian
artists,ishometosomeofthebestlocal
artisticproductionsfromthe1900stothe
presentday.TemporaryStoring(via24
Novembre,5)payshomagetoyoungtalent.
Thosewholovetraditionalphotography
shouldcheckoutS'Umbra(viaS.Giuseppe,
17),gallery,studioandredactionof“Fuorite-
ma”,areportagemagazine.
Forfashionphotography,gotoSouthPhoto(via
S.Giacomo,21).CertainateliersinCagliari,such
asLaboratorio1984(viaLanusei,9)andStudio
U.F.O.(viaPortascalas,21),offeruptheirspace
forexhibitionsandperformancesofother
artists,inawaythatproclaimsanirreverence
fordefinitions.Wealsosuggestyouvisitthose
studiosandco-workingspacesthat,besides
expressingtheirowncreativity,lendthemselves
tooutsideexhibitionsandperformances,as
non-conventionalsites.Amongthesewerecom-
mendTrigu(viaCorted'Appello,27),StudioLixi
(viaAdaNegri,21),StudioUmido(viaCorte
d'Appello,71)andAccasarti(viaS.Giuseppe,
15).
Vertigo(viaSanLucifero,65)specializesin
literatureandcinema.FormusicrecordsBlack
Market(ViaIglesias,25)andAltaFedeltà(viaG.
Deledda,27)arethebeststocked.You'llfind
comicsandactionfiguresatLoriga(p.zza
Garibaldi,7),andgames,models,puzzles,Lego
andmoreatSukka(viaG.Deledda,36).Drawing
materialscanbefoundatCaide(p.zzadel
Carmine,1)oratLaBottegadelloStudente(via
Dettori,4).
MUSIC&DRINKS
Musicaccompaniesyouthroughthestreetsof
Cagliariatallhours,butespeciallyintheevening.
Theperfectthingtotopoffyourdayatthebeach.
IntheheartoftheMarinaquarter,CovoArtCafé
(viaBarcellona,49)isaclassicmeetingplaceinthe
winterseasonforbeerandbilliards,totheaccom-
panimentofDJandlivemusicsets.Anothermust
foryourCagliari-by-nightisIrishpubOldSquare
(c.soV.Emanuele,46),whichofferslivemusicand
DJsetseverynightoftheweek.Walkingthestreets
oftheCastelloquarter,youmighthearthesounds
ofatrumpetemanatingfromVinvoglio(via
Lamarmora,45),whoseintimatespaceisjustthe
thingforconnoisseursofwineandjazz.
Muzak(viaStretta,3),stompinggroundsforthe
city'sundergroundscene,ishometoawide
rangeofevents.Ifyou'reintoIndiemusicand
micro-breweries,KastèSocialClub(viaUniversi-
tà,37)istheplaceforyou.Areyouthecosmopo-
litantype?DropbyBabelClub(viaE.D'Arborea,
29),themostinternationalpubintown,where
youcanpasstheeveninginthecompanyof
Erasmusstudentsandyoungtravellers.Evenif
herethemusicisrelegatedtothebackground,
thetime-honouredBirrotecaalMerloParlante
(viaPortascalas,69),withthecity'sricheststock
ofbeer,issurelyworthavisit.
BOOKS,ALBUMS,
COMICS&MORE
Doyoulovereading,music,comicsandvideo
games?Here'swhereyou'llfindtheobjectofyour
desire:LaLibreriadiviaSulis(viaSulis,3/A)has
oneoftherichestselectionsofcollectors'books
andmagazines.Thosewhodevournovelsand
graphic-novelscanspendhoursamongtheshelves
ofTiziano(viaTiziano,15),Mieleamaro(viaManno,
88)andCorsoLibriPiazzaRepubblica(c.soV.
Emanuele,370).Illustratedstoriesforchildrencan
befoundatTuttestorie(viaOrlando,4).
ToexploretheprotectedmarineareaofCapo
Carbonara,wesuggestanenjoyableexcursionon
the'FiorediMaggio'(www.fioredimaggio.eu)
Theferry,besidestakingyoutotheIslandof
Cavoli,aswellastheloveliestbeaches,servesa
deliciousfishlunch.Torechargeafterhoursofsun,
there'snothingmorerelaxingthananaperitifon
thelawnofBaccusardus(viaAlMare,15).Trythe
localcold-cutsandcheeses,accompaniedbya
micro-brewedbeeroraglassofwine.Ifyoustick
aroundfordinner,you'lllovetheseafoodatSu
Forreddu,atthetouristicport.Thenyoucangofor
adrinkattheGaribaldiLounge(viaGaribaldi,1),
andgodancingatLoSciabecco,theareasmost
popularclub.
HaveyoueverwonderedwhySardiniais
consideredaparadise?Takeatripto
Villasimiusandyou'llfindout.Yourjourney
ofdiscoverywillbeginearly,asyoufind
yourselfadmiringthesplendidlittlebaysof
theGulfofAngelsfromtheroadalongthe
coast(SP17).Youwon'twanttomissouton
takingadipatMariPintau(atthe17thkm),
asmall“painted”baythatgetsitsname
formtheemerald-greenseainitsembrace.
OnceyougettoCrabonaxa(Villasimiusin
Sardinian),you'llfinditdifficulttochoose
whichbeachtogoto.There'sPortoGiunco,
whereyou'llfindthelovelyNotteripond,
fullofflamingos,orPuntaMolentis,a
hiddenbaywithanuncontaminated
landscapeofMediterraneanbush.Less
crowded,butjustasbeautiful,isCampulongu.
VILLASIMIUS:
SEA,RESTANDPARTIES
Likeeverycityintheworld,Cagliaritells
itstalesthroughitswalls.We'llturnyou
ontotherightones.AtviaSanSaturnino
(ahiddenstreetintheVillanovaquarter,
paralleltothepanoramicTerrapieno
walkway),you'llfindthe'HallofFame',
whereyoucanadmiretheworksofthe
city'smostfamouswritersandstreet
artists.Averitablecultlocation,itsforms,
letters,symbolsandcoloursareworthyof
thetowerofBabel;makingforanoriginal
siteforpicture-taking.
TIPSDISPENSER
FRESHTIPSFORGETTINGTHE
MOSTOUTOFYOURSTAY
Carbustec:www.carbustec.com
RentforCagliari:www.rentforcagliari.it
SardegnainVespa:www.sardegnainvespa.com
RENT
ASCOOTER
PUBLIC
TRANSPORT
Coach:www.arst.sardegna.it
Bus:www.ctmcagliari.it
Taxi:070-400101/070-6655
RENT
ABIKE
InBike:www.inbike.eu
SardiniaCycling:www.sardiniacycling.com
IchnusaBike:www.ichnusabike.it
WALLSTHATSPEAK
USEFULINFO
W
U
BIGWAVES
RIDETOWARDSTHESEA
Forflatskateboardingwesuggest
Terrapieno,long-standingmeetingpoint
forlocalskaters,PiazzaGiovanniandthe
walkwaysofthePortofCagliariand
MarinaPiccola.Ifyou'recrazyaboutramps
andpool-skating,thenearestskateparks
areinAssemini,UtaandSanSperate(just
minutesawaybybusfromCagliari).
SKATEBOARDING
Cagliariisacitywhereyoucantakea
refreshingdiveafteryouworkout,an
indescribablepleasure.Inthemorning
duringthecoldmonths,andatsunset
duringthehotseason,PoettoBeach,with
its10kmlongpath,welcomeshundredsof
fitnessbuffs.Ifyou'reseekingabitofpeace
andareattractedbythesoundofthesea,
thisbreezyandrelaxingoasisistheideal
placeforjogging.Ifyoupreferamore
challengingroute,wesuggestthesteep
hillsofMonteUrpinu,MonteClaroandSan
Michele,thecity'smostbeautifulparks.
RUNANDDIVE
Inthewinterthesouth-westerlywinds
blowinthehightideatPoettoBeach.The
surfers'stomping-groundisinfrontofthe
5thbusstop.AlsothereefsatCapitana,
onthecoast,afewminutesfromthe
centre,arefamousfortheirwaves.Atless
thananhour'sdrivefromCagliari,youcan
ridethewavesoftheMistralwindatChia
orintheOristanoareaatPutzuIdu.
Don'tbelievethenaysayers,Cagliariisan
idealplacetogetaroundbybicycle.Thanks
totheshortdistances,it'seasyand
convenienttoroamthecityontwowheels.
You'llfallinlovewiththelovelybike-path
thatconnectstheport(MoloIchnusa)to
PoettoBeach,passingthroughtheMolen-
targiussalina.Withamountainbikeyou
caneasilyenjoythedirtpathsofS.Eliaand
theSelladelDiavolo(theDevil'sSaddle).
Mediterraneanbush,breath-takingnatural
vistasandarchaeologicalsitesaresureto
makeyoubike-rideunforgettable.
There'stheMuseodelCrudo,theRomanS.Giovanni
BattistachurchandtheMegalithicGarden,an
urban-redevelopmentprojectbyPinuccioSciola,
whohasplayedakeyroleinthetown'sartistic
development.Hishouse/museum,opentothe
public,issomethingofatownsymbol,whereyoucan
hearthesoundofthefamoussingingstones.
WealsosuggestyoudropbyMagazzeno(vicoCaglia-
ri,2)andtheworkshopofManuinvisibile,young
street-artistwhosewall-paintingsareappreciatedall
overEurope.Withallthiswandering,you'llprobably
gethungry.
Foramorningsnack,tryoutapardula(Sardinian
sweet)attheCollubakery(viaRoma,18).Forlunch,
sityourselfdownatAda,restaurant/art-café(via
Cagliari,21),whereyoucanchoosebetween15
differentkindsofhomemaderavioliandtensof
micro-brewedbeer.Lateronyoucansnackon
homemadeice-creamandchocolateatChocoGioia
(viaBauNinniCannas,12).
FREGOLAWITHCLAMS
Fregolaalsomeanserotic
excitement.There'sgottobea
reason.
CULURGIOONES
It'smintybutit'snottoothpaste,
there'scheesebutit's
notafold.Amusttry.
PIZZETTASFOGLIA
Puffpastrywithtomatosauce,anideal
breakfast.Sogoodthatthelocalscan't
believeitwasinventedinCagliari.
SEAURCHINS
ThetasteoftheMediterranean.
Onceyoutasteitsflavour,you'll
understandwhyitdefendsitself
withallthoseneedles.
SEBADAS
Afriedpastasweetwithcheese
andhoney.Simplebutlovely.
SPAGHETTIWITHBOTTARGA
Thisgoldisprecious,
grateitwithcareuponyourpasta.
TXT:CelestinoTabasso—ILLUSTRATIONS:CarolRollo
MALLOREDDUS
Pastawithtomatosauceand
sausage.VerySardinian,more
caloriesthanimagination
PARDULA
Sweetmadewithricottaand
cheese,thesoftheartofthe
pastoralculture.
ROASTEDPIGLET
PeppaPig'scrispycousin.
BURRIDA
Themanwhobitesthedog
isnews,ifheeatsasharkit'sa
deliciouschew.
CADDOTZONEWITHHORSEMEAT
Thehorseisman'sbestfriend.Cowboysused
themwithsaddles,theIndianswithnothing,the
localsofCagliariwithgarlicandparsley.
PLACESWORTHSEEING
WITHINANHOURFROMCAGLIARIOUTDOORACTIVITIES
JUSTPLAINFUN
WHAT’SONTODAY?
FINDITOUTON
CAGLIARIUNOFFICIAL.COM
S
P
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W
YOU’RE
HERE
Walkingaroundyou'llsurelycome
acrossapizzettaaltaglio(pizzabythe
slice);tryasliceatPizza74(viaDante,
74),onviaManno(wedon'tremember
theaddressbutyou'llcatchthescent
fromafar).Foralife-savingkebab,stop
inatElManar(viaAngioy,66),open
365daysayear.Totryoutsome
homemadegelato,theItalianice-cream,
wesuggestStefino(viaDettori,30),
Gocce(p.zzadelCarmine,21),Boboco-
no(viaOristano,23)andTuttoGelato
(v.lePoetto,102).
CagliariUnofficialGuide
C
Toseethefruitsofthecollectiveworksof
Ciredz,Crisa,EricailCaneandTellas,
you'llhavetogotoSant'Elia(via
Schiavazzi).Othernoteworthywallsby
Conan,Skan,LaFilleBertha,Ufoeand
Aster,inrather'wild'settings,canbe
founduponthepillarsundertheSaScafa
bridge(afive-minute-walkfromvia
Roma),alongthesidesofthelight-metro
tracks,betweenPiazzaRepubblicaand
LargoGennari.
InCagliariyou'llfindunexpectedstreet
food.Toppingthelistwehaveseaurchins.The
femalesareeateninthesun,atthestandsof
theeccentricvendors,ricciai,attheSuSiccu
touristicport.Don'tmissoutonthefamous
caddotzone,agrilled-meatsandwichmadewith
eithersausage,wurstelorhorse-meat,with
french-fries,onionsandsauce.Inthecentre
they'llfixoneupforyouatNonSoloHamburger
(viaDante)andonPoettoBeachatthe3rd
bus-stop(infrontofIlLido).You'llfindthe
pizzettasfoglia,amusttry,injustaboutanybar.
#cagliariunofficialguide
@UnofficialCA