A Cagliari Walkabout, Cagliari, Italy

Not without interest. This is my usual polite way to indicate that the town in question may have a few interesting features but in no way rises to the “must-see” category. If you are in the area, you probably should visit, but don’t lose sleep over not being able to allocate significant time to its exploration.

Cagliari – the capital and the biggest city of Sardinia – is exactly that: not without interest. As in any large town with a long history, there are notable points of interest, impressive monuments, and winsome perspectives. But very little comes with a “wow” factor, and on average Cagliari feels short of remarkable.

The killer feature has got to be the Bastion Saint Rémy, a 19th-century limestone structure that acts as the cinematic entry point to the historic district of Cagliari.

Other notable structures in the Castello district include a couple of early 14th-century towers, one of which is known as Torre dell’Elefante on account of a small sculpture on an elevated shelf on the wall. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).