Water, Wine and Salt.
Cagliari and its history, with a focus on the theme of well-being and the excellent quality of life, through the benefits of its waters and its unique microclimate in the world.
October 2021
Program 1 two nights
Day I Cagliari
Individual arrival in Cagliari and meeting at 10.00 outside the train station.
With a walk in the historic center, we will reach the Cathedral of Santa Maria , or Duomo of Cagliari, Built in the 13th century in Romanesque-Pisan style, it underwent various transformations over the centuries in Gothic, Baroque and Neo-Romanesque style.
Inside the Cathedral there are several underground rooms intended for the burials of numerous personalities.
The interior of the church, with a Latin cross plan, has three naves with a transept and side chapels.
Built in the 13th century, the bell tower reaches a height of 36 meters and its terrace is located about 130 meters above sea level which, after 137 steps, offers a breathtaking view that embraces the entire city.
Guided tour of the Castello district , which houses the most important testimonies of the medieval age, especially from an architectural and historical-artistic point of view. Even today, a good part of the Pisan fortifications forcefully characterize the face of the city acropolis, which constitutes one of the most appreciated and valuable postcards of the island center.
Lunch in the historic Marina district, accommodation in the reserved rooms at the 5-star Palazzo Doglio hotel, free afternoon and half board plus overnight stay in the hotel.
Day II
Towards the FAI treasures Saline Contivecchi
Breakfast at the hotel and departure by coach at 09.00.
Transfer of the FAI Conti Vecchi salt mines .
The longest-lived salt pans in Sardinia extend over 2,700 hectares of the Santa Gilla Pond : for almost 90 years, man and nature have worked here in perfect synergy thanks to the far-sighted enterprise of Eng. Conti Vecchi who, at the end of the 1920s, created an ambitious project to reclaim the pond by building a colossal salt pan and thus contributing to the economic and social development of this depressed area on the outskirts of the city. A thriving, virtuous and cutting-edge industrial reality was born: an eco-sustainable and self-sufficient production plant around which a 'salt community' orbited, equipped with homes, schools and recreational facilities for the families of owners, managers and workers who lived together in the village of Macchiareddu.
After the war, in the 1970s the complex passed to SIR Rumianca and in 1984, following the energy and industrial crisis, it was assigned ex lege to Eni which, over time, started an industrial redevelopment and reclamation project through Syndial - a company that provides integrated services in the field of environmental remediation - and which in 2017 entrusted the FAI with the enhancement of this cultural and landscape heritage. A story that has now become a tale in which to immerse yourself by walking through the historic areas of the Management, Offices and Chemical Laboratory, restored to their original appearance, just as they were in the 1930s. A leap in time that is accompanied by large and evocative video projections in the Workshop and in the former Carpenter's Shop, dedicated to the history and functioning of the Salt Pans and their landscape where, finally, you enter aboard a special convoy along an itinerary that winds between salt pans and white mountains of salt, immersed in an unusual and memorable scenario populated by hundreds of pink flamingos.
Lunch in a restaurant and afternoon at the archaeological site of Nora .
Nora Archaeological site
A few dozen kilometers southwest of Cagliari lies one of the most important archaeological sites in Sardinia, a prosperous city, first Phoenician, then Carthaginian, and finally a very important Roman center, a jewel handed down to us over three millennia.
But the very first inhabitants of the city of Nora were the ancestors of the Sardinian people, the so-called Nuragic civilization.
In the seaside spa of the city, a life-saving well was found that was used by the Nuragic people to cure themselves with sea water.
It was the use of sea salt that gave unique characteristics for saline density to our waters, with unimaginable therapeutic effects. We can certainly say that thalassotherapy in Sardinia is unique in the world for its incredible healing properties in numerous medical specialties.
At the entrance to the park, you will find ruins of the baths, for which Nora was famous. Through the paved streets, you will enter the heart of the ancient city.
Return to the hotel with half board included and overnight stay.
Day III
Visit to the church of San Saturnino and lunch at Poetto.
Breakfast at the hotel and check-out at 11.00
Walking tour of the nearby Church of San Saturnino.
Early Christian complex dating back to before the 5th century AD, which includes the Byzantine-Proto-Roman church (also called the Church of Saints Cosmas and Damian) and the Christian necropolis, in which many remains from the Byzantine and Roman periods have been found.
Built as a Martyryum for the martyr Saturnino from Cagliari, the basilica was donated in 1089 to the Vittorini monks of Marseille, who established a priory there and renovated the church according to the canons of Provençal Romanesque. In the first half of the 14th century, during the Catalan siege, the monastery was seriously damaged, falling into complete ruin a century later. The church was restored again around 1484. Excavations began around 1614 to search for the so-called "holy bodies" (relics of martyrs or presumed martyrs), while in 1669 the basilica was partially dismantled to obtain materials useful for the renovation of the cathedral. In 1714 the church was granted to the corporation of Doctors and Apothecaries, who named it after the protectors SS. Cosma and Damiano.
Poetto and lunch at the Lido of Cagliari.
Poetto beach, eight kilometres long and dominated by the promontory of Sella del Diavolo , is one of the symbolic places of Cagliari , loved and frequented by tourists in the summer and by residents throughout the year.
365-degree well-being is released by the microclimate that is created in the gulf throughout the year.
The water has a minimum temperature that never drops below 10 degrees, not even in the coldest months.
It is not stagnant but relatively still water, and this characteristic gives it a degree of salinity, measured with degrees Baumé (Bé)) of 1.5 degrees.
This particularity makes sea water the most effective natural anti-inflammatory with countless therapeutic and dermatological effects.
Walk and lunch in the historic bathing establishment “ Il Lido ” since 1914.
Transfer to the airport.
Program 2
Three nights
Day IV Sanluri Castle lunch at Tenute Olianas & Barumini
Breakfast and transfer to Sanluri with a guided tour of the wonderful castle .
The only one of 88 medieval Sardinian castles that is still habitable, now a fascinating museum, preserves forms dating back to the mid-14th century. The castle called Eleonora d'Arborea, although it is uncertain whether the judge stayed there, stands in Sanluri in Medio Campidano, 50 kilometers from Cagliari.
Lunch takes us to the wonderful Tenute Olianas , in the heart of Sarcidano.
Visit to the cellars, to discover the Biointegrale philosophy and the characteristics of the wines in amphora.
The Olianas Anfore are born from an idea of natural oenology and from the desire to create authentic wines that tell and reflect the characteristics of the different terroirs and vines.
The terracotta amphorae come partly from Georgia (Caucasus) and are kept both underground for natural temperature control, and above ground – in the cellar, lined up with the tonneaux.
Afternoon visit to the Nuragic complex of
on Nuraxi.
Archaeological site of Sardinia declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO (1997). The most precious legacy that the Nuragic civilization has left us. Su Nuraxi, entirely made of basalt blocks, presents a stratification of two thousand years, from the XVI BC to the VII century AD. It is a complex nuraghe, composed of a bastion with a central tower (18 meters high) and four corner ones, and around it a labyrinth of 50 huts (dating back to the final Bronze Age), wells and cisterns.
Return to the hotel, dinner and overnight stay.
Program 3
Four nights
Day V
Underground Cagliari.
Breakfast at the hotel and meeting with the guide to reach the Marina district on foot.
With an unusual and fascinating itinerary we will explore the main hypogeal sites of the city, between archaeology, nature, art and spirituality.
In the historic district of Marina, the largest urban archaeological route in Sardinia develops, the Archaeological area of Sant'Eulalia.
We will also visit Piazza San Sepolcro with the Crypt of the same name and in the Stampace district the Crypt of Santa Restituta.
In via Sant'Efisio we can admire the Crypt of the patron saint, which is located under the church of the same name.
Lunch and afternoon free.
Conclusion of the organized trip.
