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Home > Travel Italy > Italy Destinations > Cagliari
Cagliari
Italy, officially the Italian Republic or Repubblica Italiana, is a Southern European country comprising of the Po River valley, the Italian Peninsula and the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia. It is shaped like a boot and for this reason Italians commonly call it lo Stivale, the boot or, due to its prevalent peninsular geographical nature, la Penisola, the Peninsula.
Cagliari is the capital of the island of Sardinia, an autonomous region of Italy. Cagliari is called Casteddu in the Sardinian language. It has about 160,000 inhabitants or about 300,000 including the suburbs metropolitan area such as Elmas, Selargius, Monserrato, Quartucciu, and Quartu Elena. Its total area is 85.45 square kilometer and population is 160,770 as noted in 2005.
Cagliari was inhabited since pre-historic periods for its favorable position between the sea and a fertile plain, its being surrounded by two swamps which afforded defenses from enemies from inner lands and its vicinity to high and green mountains to which people could evacuate if everything else was lost. Some testimonies of pre-historic inhabitants were found in Monte Claro and in Cape Sant Elia. Under the name of Karalis it was one of a string of Phoenician trading colonies in Sardinia, including Sulcis, Nora, and Tharros, that were founded from Tyre in the 7th century Before Christ. It passed with the rest of the island first to the control of Carthage and then to Rome in 238 Before Christ when the Romans defeated the Carthaginians.
The old part of the city lies on top of a hill, with a wonderful view of the Gulf of Cagliari. Most of its city walls are intact, and feature the two 13th century white lime-stone towers, Saint Pancras tower and the Elephant tower. The local white lime-stone was also used to build the walls of the city and many buildings. Cagliari has some peculiar gastronomic traditions. Many dishes are based on the wide variety of fish and sea food available. Although it is possible to trace influences from Spanish gastronomy, Cagliaritanian food has a distintctive and unique character.
A city known for its historic myths and traditions, scenic beauty, cooperative people and luxurious hotels and cottages, Cagliari is one of the favorite holiday destinations for most of the vacation lovers.
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