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Secrets of underground Cagliari

The subsurface of the city of Cagliari is reported intense mining and use of limestone in construction. This has led it to develop an extensive underground system preserved until today.

The Carthaginians were the first to use the rock of the upper part of the city for the construction of their buildings, as evidenced by the numerous quarries, and after them the Romans who later transformed many of these quarries into a vast rainwater collection system.

One of the most interesting examples of reuse of an underground cavity, for the collection of rainwater, is that of the great cistern built in the vicinity of the most important historical Roman building: the Amphitheatre of Cagliari. Within this vast environment are easily recognizable different phases of its use as a quarry pit, and later adapted by the Romans in prison. To endorse this hypothesis has been discovered on a cistern wall a graffiti depicting the early Christian Navicula Petri, the ship of the Church, dating from around the early years of the fourth century A.D. In 1600 the Cistern will be reused during the plague Cagliari to "bury" the dead of the district of Castello.

Another example of reuse of an underground space is the cavity of Via Vittorio Veneto, known as the "cavity of the 5 pillars", with a perimeter of about 150 m and an internal development of about 600 sqm, inside which were spared, during excavation, five squat pillars with a square base. The cavity, a quarry in the Phoenician era, was used as a water reservoir under Carthage and then in Roman times. During the Middle Ages, traces of stone pallets and arches on the walls lead  to assume that it was used by some monastic communities. During World War II the cavity was adapted to anti-aircraft shelter and later was inhabited for a long time by the evacuees.

Another interesting example of reuse of an underground site is the refuge gallery in via Don Bosco, probably built around 1700 by the Piedmontese for military purposes. At the beginning of World War II, it became a refuge for civilians. At the end of the war the various entrances were walled and the gallery was forgotten. This allowed it to remain almost intact to this day.

In Stampace and near the Church of St. Efisio, you can enter into a cavity entirely carved into the limestone rock. Originally a tank to collect rain water, in Roman times was transformed into a prison. It has an irregular square floor plan and the ceiling carved into rock is supported by two large pillars, which are also carved into the limestone. The actual antiquity of the place was confirmed by the discovery of some coins dating to the period of Domitian (first century a.C). This place, by tradition, is considered to be the prison of Efisio, warrior-martyr of Cagliari, the patron saint of the city, who was imprisoned and then beheaded by the Romans in 303 A.C.

The Churc of Saint Efisio, and this cavity 'underground, represent the principai places of worship in the culture and in the religious traditions of the city of Cagliari. Since 1657 until today, the feast of Saint Efisio is one of the most important in Sardinia. Its religious procession -  among the oldest and the longest in Italy, with its 65 km route wolked by foot in four days, and the largest in the mediterranean -  takes place every year on May 1, with the participation of folck groups from all over Sardinia, wearing their town's traditional dress.

The tour through the underground Cagliari will be for you an amazing and unexpected experience:  you will be able to see the city from inside and enjoy the atmosphere full of charm walking the corridors and underground halls, where are hidden secrets and legends.

The duration of the excursion is half a day (up to 4 hours)

walking tour + transfer

The tour price does not include entrance to museums