A few dozen kilometers southwest of Cagliari lies one of the most important archaeological sites in Sardinia, a prosperous city, first Phoenician, then Carthaginian, and finally a very important Roman center, a jewel handed down to us over three millennia.

It was the first Phoenician city in Sardinia (8th century BC), a commercial hub, as well as a port with an enviable position, on the isthmus of Cape Pula, from which one could set sail in any wind. Nora, fully developed in the 4th century BC under Punic rule, was conquered by the Romans in 238 BC and in the 1st century AD became municipalityIn the following two centuries, it experienced its maximum splendor: urban growth and eight thousand inhabitants, as well as being caput viae, kilometer zero of all the roads on the island. Fascinating ruins of the once flourishing city remain in the archaeological park of Chaff, a few minutes from the tourist center, and exhibits on display in the Patroni MuseumWhile snorkeling, you'll admire Roman roads and ruins on the seabed of the isthmus, at Punta del Coltellazzo, dominated by a 16th-century tower.

The Phoenician-Punic remains have been almost completely covered by Roman buildings. The excavations, begun in 1889 after a storm 'unveiled' a Phoenician-Punic cemetery (tophet), have brought to light remains of the Temple of Tanit, Carthaginian goddess, and the stele of Nora, kept in the Archaeological Museum of CagliariOn the stele, the oldest document in the West, the name appears for the first time Shrdn, 'Sardinia'. The tophet It stands near the Romanesque church, the place of martyrdom of the holy warrior commemorated every year on the occasion of the Feast of Saint Efisio, to which the population of Pula is particularly devoted.

At the park's entrance, you'll find ruins of the baths for which Nora was famous. Through the paved streets, you'll enter the heart of the ancient city: the Forum Square. Nearby is a temple with a six-columned pronaos, while to the north are the necropolis and aqueduct. On the coast, you'll see a stately home, the House of the Tetrastyle Atrium from the 3rd century AD, with a four-columned portico and rooms lined with mosaics: don't miss "Nereid on a Sea Centaur." Continuing on, you'll come to the main attraction, the amphitheater: originally covered in marble, it had twenty tiers and a thousand seats. Today, it hosts the festival. The Night of the PoetsTo the south stands the Sanctuary of Aesculapius, with a 4th-century mosaic terrace: perhaps the site of the ritual of incubation, to seek remedies from the god. It is the last great building: the decline of Nora began in the 5th century. After the archaeological excursion, you can take a stroll along the golden sand beach and crystal-clear sea or along the lagoon, home to rare birds, and in the evening, indulge in Pula's nightlife, with events and aperitifs in the town squares.