I Unusual itineraries in Cagliari offer an authentic look at the city, far off the beaten tourist track. At a time when more and more travellers are looking for distinctive and local experiences, discovering Cagliari's lesser-known faces allows one to get in touch with its truest soul. From forgotten neighbourhoods to nature reserves in the heart of the city centre, the traveller's experience becomes an intimate journey through history, identity and unexpected silences.
Cagliari, the capital of Sardinia, is much more than Marina and Castello: it holds forgotten hills, former industrial areas that have become urban gardens and corners that tell of centuries of cultural cohabitation. In this article we guide you through surprising destinations and alternative routes for those who want to get to know the city beyond the usual postcard pictures.
A destination seldom visited even by residents, the Colle di Saint Elias towers above the stadium and the Sella del Diavolo area. This promontory now surrounded by Mediterranean maquis hides a more troubled recent past. Between the 1950s and the 1980s, in fact, it was occupied by a secret NATO military base, with bunkers, radar stations and tunnels dug into the rock, which today can be visited in part (although some areas are still enclosed).
The hill offers incredible natural scenery: expanses of euphorbia, sheer cliffs overlooking the sea and a 360° view of the entire Gulf of Angels. To walk here is to relive a forgotten past, with the wind carrying the echoes of a time of global tension. Perfect for those who love urban hiking and unconventional historical suggestions.
On the south-western edge of Cagliari lies the area of Sa Scafaan area suspended between industrial archaeology, lagoon nature and rural memory. Delimited by the Santa Gilla pond, here time seems to have stood still. Crossing an old bridge with movable banks designed for the passage of railway convoys, now in disuse, one enters landscapes reminiscent of some northern European panoramas: canals, manual locks, herons and pink flamingos.
Sa Scafa is also one of the best places to practice birdwatching in cities. According to data collected by ISPRA (Institute for Environmental Protection and Research), the Santa Gilla area is home to over 170 species of birds, including endangered migratory specimens. These environments are accessible via urban dirt tracks, ideal for slow exploration on foot or by bicycle.
Many tourists stroll down Via Roma and do not imagine that, behind its inner parallel, a microcosm of history and popular devotion extends: Stampace Basso. This district, the heart of the oldest Cagliari together with Castello and Villanova, still harbours hidden courtyards, medieval architecture and traditional shops. Walking along Via Azuni or through alleys such as Via San Michele, one encounters Baroque churches, small votive shrines and underground stories.
Not far away is the Crypt of Santa Restituta, an urban cave reused as an air-raid shelter and now a religious and archaeological monument. Often overlooked by the main itineraries, this area is suitable for those seeking a Intimate and popular Cagliariof gravy smells, stone wash houses and slow rhythms.
A few metres beyond the busy Viale Merello open up green spaces often unknown to residents and travellers. L'Capuchin Garden is one of them: it is a former monastery garden now run by volunteers and environmental associations. Between rows of fig trees, wooden benches and labyrinths of lavender, one discovers a contemplative side of the city.
This place has also been redeveloped thanks to EU funds and partnerships with third parties, including the Urban Green programme dedicated to urban regeneration. Educational workshops and olfactory paths are also available - an experience that combines slowness, nature and memory. A little-publicised oasis, but rich in authenticity and meditative silence.
The district of Pirri, administratively part of the municipality but with its own strong identity, has become an emerging urban cultural centre in recent years. At the heart of this evolution is theFormer glassworksAn early 20th-century industrial factory now converted into a centre for creative experimentation. Theatre festivals, temporary exhibitions and participatory projects are held.
But the attraction is not limited to events: within the red walls of the glassworks one still breathes a suspended, industrial and genuine air. Lovers of off-the-beaten-track routes can continue along the narrow streets at the foot of the Monreale hill, intertwined with urban gardens and murals created as part of the Creative Periphery. This too is Cagliari: dynamic, urban, but tied to its productive and popular roots.
Travelling through the Unusual itineraries in Cagliari allows us to reconsider the city not as a mere seaside destination or historical capital, but as an organism in constant transformation, capable of speaking several languages: that of its silences, its urban voids, its stratified identities. Far from stereotypes, it is possible to inhabit Cagliari in a profound and conscious way, through spaces that tell what the city does not immediately show.
The suggested itineraries respond to the growing need for authenticity and disconnection. According to the latest report of theENIT National Tourism Observatorymore than 30% of Italian and foreign travellers in 2025 say they are interested in lesser-known but highly relational and cultural experiences. Cagliari, from this point of view, proves to be a perfect laboratory for practising this type of alternative and regenerating tourism.
Exploring these lesser-known places and routes also means supporting local communities, rediscovering urban greenery and contributing to the preservation of the city's intangible heritage. A real journey goes beyond monuments: it begins in the unexpected folds of the city.
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