Information Cagliari
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Cagliari is the capital of the island of Sardinia, an autonomous region of Italy. Cagliari is called Casteddu (literally, the castle) in the Sardinian language. It has about 170,000 inhabitants, or about 300,000 including the suburbs (metropolitan area) (Elmas, Pirri, Selargius, Monserrato, Quartucciu, Quartu Sant'Elena). 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 BC. It passed with the rest of the island first to the control of Carthage and then to Rome in 238 BC when the Romans defeated the Carthaginians. Subsequently ruled in turn by the Vandals and the Byzantine Empire, became the eponymous capital of an independent kingdom or "giudicato", ruled by a "giudice" or "judike" (literally judge). However, there is some evidence that during this period of independence from external rule, Cagliari was deserted because it was too exposed to attacks by Moorish pirates from the sea. Apparently many people left Cagliari and founded a new town in an area close to the Santa Gilla swamp on the west of Cagliari, but distant from the sea. The "giudicato" of Karalis comprised a large area of the Campidano plain, the mineral resources of the Sulcis region and the mountain region of Ogliastra. Apart from Karalis, there were other three independent and autonomous kingdoms, or "giudicati", in Sardinia: Torres in the north west, Gallura in the north east, and the most famous and long-lived Arborea, with Oristano (Aristanis in Sardinian language) as capital. In the 11th century, the Pisan republic that had previously seized the Sulcis region in the south east, conquered the kingdom of Karalis and re-built the town of Cagliari. Pisa was one of the four Italian "maritime republics" that in the middle age fought for control of the Mediterranean sea and its commercial routes. The other maritime republics were the short-lived Amalfi, Genoa and Venice. Pisa and Genoa had a keen interest in Sardinia because it was a perfect strategic base for controlling the commercial routes between Italy and North Africa. Some of the fortifications that still surround the current district of Castello (Casteddu 'e susu in Sardinian language) were built by the Pisans, most notably the two remaining white lime-stone towers designed by architect Giovanni Capula (originally there were three towers that guarded the three gates that gave access to the district). Together with the district of Castello, Cagliari comprised the districts of Marina (which included the port), Stampace and Villanova. Marina and Stampace were guarded by walls, while Villanova, which mainly hosted peasants, was not. In the 14th century the kingdom of Aragon conquered Cagliari after a battle against the Pisans and advanced its plan to conquer all of Sardinia. When Sardinia was finally conquered by Aragon, Cagliari (during the Catalan domination the city was named Càller), became the administrative capital of the vice-kingdom of Sardinia, which later came under the rule of the Spanish empire. Many agree that the Spanish domination was a period of decadence for Cagliari and Sardinia. In the 18th century, after a brief rule of the Austrian Habsburgs, Cagliari and Sardinia came under the House of Savoy in 1720. As ruler of Sardinia, the Savoys took the title of kings of the Sardinian kingdom. The Sardinian kingdom comprised Savoy and Nice (currently in France), Piedmont and Liguria, as well as Sardinia. Although Sardinian by name, the kingdom had its capital in Turin, in mainland Italy, where the Savoys resided. The parliament was also in Turin and its members were mainly aristocrats from Piedmont or the mainland. By the end of the 18th century, after the French Revolution, France tried to conquer Cagliari because of its strategic role in the Mediterranean sea. A French army landed in the Poetto beach and moved towards Cagliari, but the French were defeated by Sardinians who decided to defend themselves against the revolutionary army. People from Cagliari hoped to receive some concession from the Savoys in return for their defending the town: for example, aristocrats from Cagliari asked for a Sardinian representative in the parliament of the kingdom. When the Savoys refused any concession to the Sardinians, inhabitants of Cagliari rose up against the Savoys and expelled all representatives of the kingdom and people from Piedmont. This insurgence is celebrated in Cagliari during the "Die de sa Sardigna" (Sardinian Day) on the last weekend of April. However the Savoys regained control of the town after a brief period of autonomous rule. From the 1870s, with the unification of Italy, the city experienced a century of rapid growth. Many outstanding buildings were erected by the end of the 18th century during the office of Mayor Ottone Bacaredda. Many of these buildings combined influences from Art Nouveau together with the traditional Sardinian taste for flower decoration: an example is the white marble City Hall near the port. Ottone Bacaredda is also famous for the violent repression of one of the earlier worker strikes in the beginning of the 20th century. During the Second World War, Cagliari was heavily bombed by the Allies in February 1943. In order to escape from the bombardments and the misery of the destroyed town, many people left Cagliari and moved to the country or rural villages, often living with friends and relatives in overcrowded houses. This flee from the town is knwon as "sfollamento" (deserting). After the Italian truce with the Allies in September 1943, the German Army took control of Cagliari and the island, but soon retreated peacefully in order to reinforce their positions in mainland Italy. The American Army then took control of Cagliari. Cagliari was strategically important during the war because of its location in the Mediterranean Sea. Many airports were near Cagliari (Elmas, Monserrato, Decimomannu, currently a NATO airbase) from which airplanes could fly to Northern Africa or mainland Italy and Sicily. The municipal district of Cagliari is in the region/district of Sardinia and it's in the province of Cagliari. the postcode is 09100 and the code number is +39 070. Inhabitants are 158.351 and the surface is about 85 km2, with a density of population about 1.851 people for km2. Distance: from Rome 412 km, from Florence 536 km and from Venice 740 km.
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