After our day exploring the great outdoors, we arrived in Cagliari–Sardinia’s biggest city (population somewhere around 100,000), situated on its southern coast. I had already seen Cagliari last summer, but it was interested to see the island’s bustling capital in the winter, decked out in Christmas lights, and with a busy night market near the port, selling everything from fresh olives to traditional rugs. We spent the next morning wandering around the castello district, the city’s historic and picturesque area, situated high above the modern city. In the afternoon, we took a short excursion to some of the other towns on the southern coast, toward Pula, Nora, and Chia, where there are now-deserted beaches, that must be packed in the summer, and of course more ruins along the shore. On the drive there and back, we finally caught a glimpse of the island’s legendary wild flamingoes…they’re all over the Sardinian postcards, but I had been starting to doubt their actual existence until we saw tons of them hanging out in the salty pools on the side of the road.
landscape near Pula
I also enjoyed some of the best Sardinian food of the trip while in Cagliari. The hotel where we stayed was in the marina neighborhood, close to the port, with skinny cobblestone streets packed with shops and restaurants. Sardinia cuisine has its own characteristic pasta shapes, and includes lots of sheep cheese, seafood, olives, lamb, and pork. During our two nights in Cagliari, I enjoyed tasting lemon veal, sea urchin, gnochetti, Sardinian ravioli (filled with potato, mint, and sheep cheese), and of course some delicious local wines.
olives at the Cagliari market