"Cagliari, Sardegna" a Càgliari Travel Page by seagoingJLW

The city dates back to Phoenician times. It changed hands several times between Carthage and Rome. When the Roman Empire collapsed in 476. Carthage was plundered by the Vandals.

In 534, the Byzantines established it as a center of Christianity.

In 1016, the Pisans and Genoese, encouraged by the pope, invaded Sardinia to protect it from the Saracens. they hold the island until it falls to the Aragonese in 1323. When the houses of Aragon and Castile united in 1479, Cagliari came under Spanish domination for 250 years.

The Treaty of Utrecht in 1713 ceded Sardinia to Austria, but in 1718 the island was given to the dukes of Savoy. They took the title of King of Sardinia.

In 1861, the island was united with Italy under Vittorio Emanuele II.

The name Cagliari is derived from the ancient name Karalis.

The city is divided into four districts- Castello, which contains most of the historic fortifications, towers and palaces on the heights overlooking the harbor, Marina (the ancient commercial center),, Stampace (where you will find the heart of the city Piazza Yenne and the main street Largo Carlo Felice), and Villanova.