Geoff Brock & Bruce Gamble
         
     
   
 
 
 
 
 
Corsica:
 
Sardinia:
 
Sicily:
 
 

Cagliari, Sardinia.
A city tour and an afternoon drive to Nora.

Wednesday 28th September 2022
 
The itinerary was back on schedule this morning as we arrived in the port of Cagliari, having sailed the long way around the island of Sardinia from Porto Torres.
 
 
 
After breakfast, we set off on the coach for our city tour.
 
A brief pause at the Church of Bonaria, an important place for pilgrimages.
 
 
Monte Urpino panoramic viewpoint. In one direction, the Sardinian coastline...
 
...in the other, spectacular views of Cagliari.
 
 
 
 
 
 
After the scenic photo stop, we drove to a drop-off point, from where there was an approximately 3km walk, gently downhill, to where the coach would meet us later. From the drop-off point, we could see the port (our ship was obscured) and the hills on the other side, where we would be going this afternoon.
 
 
The walking tour began in the "Castle Quarter".
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Cagliari Cathedral (Duomo di Cagliari, Cattedrale di Santa Maria e Santa Cecilia)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Towards the end of the walk, we entered the commercial district...
 
 
... where there was free time to have an ice cream or do some shopping. We managed both!
 
 
On the coach again, we went back to the ship where we had lunch, before setting out again for the afternoon excursion to Nora.
 
St Gilla Lagoon is a haven for wildlife. It was lovely to see, but difficult to photograph from the coach.
 
 
 
 
Nora is in a beautiful setting, with a gorgeous beach nearby, surrounded by water and hills.
 
We have smiled throughout this trip, when dealing with the local tour company... Trumpy Tours!
 
 
 
 
 
 
Nora was founded by the Phoenicians. It had two harbours, one sheltered from the west winds and the other from Mistral. The site has Carthaginian as well as Roman ruins. After a period of Roman prosperity, there was a decline and in the 3rd century AD, the city was engulfed by the sea in a natural disaster. Still visible today are the remains of a Carthaginian warehouse, various Roman buildings, including baths with splendid mosaics and a theatre, almost completely intact, dating from the height of the Empire. Some buildings can only be seen from under the water.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
At the end of the visit, we drove back to the port.
 
 
 
 
 
 
Some consternation back on board that the union flag in the port was flying upside down. We hadn't noticed!
 
In the evening, we sailed for Sicily. We had really enjoyed our day here.
 
 
 
©Geoff Brock and Bruce Gamble