Parks & Gardens

Cagliari offers a wide choice of green areas: the Municipal Gardens are composed of a promenade, on one side lined with centuries’ old trees, and on the other side by a viewpoint which overlooks the city. Monte Claro is a green hill with extensive lawns, pathways and small ponds. Monte Urpinu is a hill clothed in pine trees. Its footpaths are favoured by walkers and joggers. Its highest point, the top of Viale Europa, offers splendid views of the city. The Terramaini park includes a natural pond, large open areas and sports routes.

The city’s Botanical Gardens have an important botanical collection as well as archaeological remains. They were opened in 1866, in the area of the roman city, and still preserve a huge water cistern carved out of the rock. The gardens have thousands of plant species from all over the world. The main collections include the palm grove, reproducing oasis habitats, the medicinal plant garden and the desert section, a fine collection of succulent plants.

But Cagliari has also a unique nature park right in town: the Saline and Molentargius Wetland Park, home to an exceptional variety of wild birds. The most striking are the pink flamingoes, which can be easily seen in flight or standing in the shallow water. The Park of Molentargius is not the only natural habitat in the city: the rocky promontories of Capo Sant’Elia and the Devil's Saddle are unspoilt and clothed in Mediterranean scrub growth. Amidst the lentisk and agaves live colonies of rabbits and along the limestone cliffs dropping into the sea wheel kestrels, herring gull and pigeons.