Nora, Roman theatre, baths and mosaics on a peninsula by the sea.

Nora sits on a low peninsula in the Gulf of Cagliari, in the municipality of Pula, joined to the mainland by a narrow spit. The Phoenicians founded a trading port here between the 9th and 8th centuries BC; the Carthaginians came next and, in the 1st century BC, Rome made it a municipality. It lived its best days between the late 2nd and 3rd centuries AD and was abandoned between the 7th and 8th centuries. What you see today is above all the Roman city, with the sea on both sides of the path.

What you see

The guided visit starts at the temple of Tanit, the Phoenician goddess of fertility. Then you walk through the forum, which was the centre of public life; the theatre, the most recognisable monument; and the baths, with the Terme a Mare complex excavated since 1977 beside the water. Among the houses, mosaics remain on the floors. The University of Padua keeps a research mission here. The visits have 3D viewers that reconstruct the city at its height.

At the tip of the peninsula is the Coltellazzo tower, which together with the cliff shelters the bay from the wind. Next to the entrance, on the beach, the little church of Sant'Efisio marks the place where tradition locates the saint's martyrdom; Cagliari's great procession reaches here on 3 May, during the four days of the festival.

Tickets and opening hours

Admission costs €10 for adults, €6 for under-18s and is free for under-5s. There is a combined ticket with the Conti Vecchi salt pans for €17. Buying online saves queuing: you receive a PDF with a QR code that you show on your phone.

Opening hours change with the month: 9:00 to 17:00 from November to February, until 18:00 in March, until 19:00 in April, May and October and until 20:30 from June to September. The foot of the website says 20:00 in summer, so confirm it if you are going late.

Beware of the guided visit. The ticket bought online does not include the guided visit; book it by phone (070 9209366) or by email.

Getting there and how long it takes

From Cagliari, 45 minutes by car along the Pula road. There is parking beside Nora beach. The visit takes an hour and a half or two hours. Go first thing or last thing in summer: there is no shade among the ruins.

To round it off

Swim at Nora beach, white sand with shallow water, good for children. A few minutes away, Su Guventeddu beach has the Don Carlo restaurant. And if you like archaeology, the Giovanni Patroni Museum, in the centre of Pula, holds finds from Nora.