History

Recent History

Sardinia's single biggest headache is lack of water. As demand grows in the cities and expanding tourist resorts, the problem becomes more acute. In 2002 the drought was so severe that Cagliari was down to four hours of running water a day.

Other problems facing the island are relatively high unemployment, poor infrastructure and administration, and unchecked tourist development. There is a delicate balance to be struck between modernisation and preserving the island's unique native character.

On a more positive note, there has been renewed interest in and appreciation of traditional Sard culture and artisanship, which were repressed for so many centuries.

Modern Day History

Cagliari was heavily bombed in WWII, and in 1948 the city was awarded a medal for the bravery of its people. Reconstruction commenced shortly after the end of the war and was partly complete by the time Cagliari was declared capital of the semi-autonomous region of Sardinia in the new Italian republic in 1949. A good deal of Sardinia's modern industry, especially petrochemicals, has since developed around the lagoons and along the coast southwest as far as Sarroch.

One of the most important postwar successes was the elimination of malaria from the Sardinian coast in the 1950s - this allowed the development of coastal tourism that today forms a pillar of Sardinia's economy.

Pre 20th Century History

The Phoenicians first established themselves around modern-day Cagliari in the 8th century BC, but it was not until the Carthaginians took control of what they called Karel or Karalis (meaning 'rocky place') around 520 BC that a town structure began to emerge.

The Romans attached particular importance to Karalis and Julius Caesar declared it a Roman municipality in 46 BC. For centuries it remained a prosperous port at the head of the grain trade with mainland Italy, but with the eclipse of Rome's power came more turbulent times.

Vandals, operating out of North Africa, waltzed into the city in AD 455 only to be unseated by a resurgent Byzantine Empire in 533. Cagliari thus became capital of one of four districts, which later became the medieval provinces called giudicati. By the 11th century, weakening Byzantine influence (accentuated by repeated Arab raids) led Cagliari and the other districts to become virtually autonomous.

The emerging rival sea powers of Genoa and Pisa were soon poking their noses around and in 1258 the Pisans took the town, fortified the Castello area and replaced the local population with Pisans. A similar fate awaited them as the Catalano-Aragonese took over in 1326. In the ensuing years of conflict around the island, the Catalano-Aragonese managed to keep Cagliari. The Black Death swept through in 1348, followed by frequent repeat episodes of the plague in the succeeding decades.

With Spain unified at the end of the 15th century, the Catalans themselves were subordinated to the Spaniards. Cagliari fared better than most of the island under Spanish inertia and mismanagement, and in 1620 the city's university opened its doors.

The dukes of Savoy (who in 1720 became kings of Sardinia) followed the Spanish precedent in keeping Cagliari as the viceregal seat and it endured several anxious events (such as the 1794 anti-Savoy riots). From 1799 to 1814 the royal family, forced out of Piedmont by Napoleon, spent much time in Cagliari protected by the British Royal Navy.

The first street lighting appeared in 1811 and a regular postal service with Genoa was established in 1835. Meanwhile King Carlo Felice had built a modern highway to Sassari that still bears his name today. Cagliari continued to develop slowly throughout the 19th century. Parts of the city walls were destroyed and the city expanded as the population grew.