CAGLIARI, the capital of Sardinia, an archiepiscopal see, and the chief town of a province (see also CARALES). It is 270111. W.S.W. of Naples, and 375m. south of Genoa by sea. Pop. (1931) of town, of commune, 101,878. It is finely situated at the northern extremity of the Gulf of Cagliari, in the centre of the south coast of the island. The mediaeval town occupies a long narrow hill running north and south, which must have been the ancient acropolis. On each side of the town are lagoons. That of S. Gilla on the west, which produces fish in abundance, was originally an open bay. That of Molentargius on the east has large saltpans which produced 197,000 tons of salt in 1925. The upper town still retains in part its fortifications, including the two great towers at the two extremities, called the Torre dell' Ele fante (13o7), and the Torre di S. Pancrazio (13o5), both erected by the Pisans. On the edge of the cliffs on the east is the cathedral, which was built in 1257-1312 by the Pisans and which retains two of the original transept doors. The pulpit (now divided into two) was brought from Pisa in 1312. The church was, however, remodelled in 1676, and the interior is baroque. The facade, in the baroque style, was added in 1703. The university (400 stu dents) is a little farther north. At the south extremity of the hill, on the site of the bastion of Caterina, a large terrace, the Passeggiata Umberto Primo, has been constructed. Below it are covered promenades, and from it steps descend to the lower town, the oldest part of which (the so-called Marina) slopes gradually towards the sea, while the quarter of Stampace lies to the west, and beyond it again the suburb of Sant'Avendrace. East of the castle hill and the Marina is the quarter of Villanova, which contains the church of S. Saturnino, a domed church of the 8th century with a choir of the Pisan period. The harbour is a good one ; the chief exports are lead, zinc and other minerals and salt. The Campidano of Cagliari, the plain which begins at the north end of the lagoon of S. Gilla, is very fertile and much cultivated. The national costumes are rarely now seen in the neighbourhood of Cagliari, except at certain festivals, especially that of S. Efisio (May 1-4) at Pula (see NoRA). The methods of cultivation are primitive : the curious water-wheels, made of brushwood with pots tied on to them, and turned by a blindfolded donkey, may be noted. Cagliari is considerably exposed to winds in winter, while in summer it is almost African in climate. The main line of railway runs north to Decimomannu (for Iglesias), Oristano, Macomer and Chilivani (for Terranova and Sassari) ; while another line (narrow-gauge) runs to Mandas (for Sorgono and Tortoli). There is also a tramway to Quarto S. Elena.
In A.D. 485 the whole of Sardinia was taken by the Vandals from Africa ; but in 533 it was retaken by Justinian. In 687 Cagliari rose against the East Roman emperors, under Gialetus, one of the citizens, who made himself king of the whole island, his three brothers becoming governors of Torres (in the north-west), Ar borea (in the south-west) and Gallura (in the north-east of the island) . The Saracens devastated it in the 8th century, but were driven out, and the island returned to the rule of kings, until they fell in the loth century, their place being taken by four "judges" of the four provinces, Cagliari, Torres, Arborea and Gallura. In the I2th century Musatto, a Saracen, established him self in Cagliari, but was driven out with the help of the Pisans and Genoese. The Pisans soon acquired the sovereignty over the whole island with the exception of Arborea, which continued to be independent. In 1297 Boni,face VIII. invested the kings of Aragon with Sardinia, and made it the seat of their government. In 1348 the island was devastated by the plague described by Boccaccio. Not until 1403 were the kings of Aragon able to con quer the district of Arborea, which, under the celebrated Eleo nora (whose code of laws—the so-called Carta de Logu—was fa mous), offered a heroic resistance. In 1479 the native princes were deprived of all independence. The island remained in the hands of Spain until the peace of Utrecht (1714), by which it was assigned to Austria. In 1720 it was ceded by the latter, in ex change for Sicily, to the duke of Savoy, who assumed the title of king of Sardinia (Cagliari continuing to be the seat of govern ment), and this remained the title of the house of Savoy until 1861. Cagliari was bombarded by the French fleet in 1793, but Napoleon's attempt to take the island failed.