Pula

The Municipality of Pula lies about 40 km from the city of Cagliari, on the southwestern coast of Sardinia. Despite its growing popularity as a tourist destination, the village has managed to preserve its characteristic historical centre almost intact.

Pula, su Casteddu. Veduta panoramica
Pula, su Casteddu. Veduta panoramica 

The first settlement was probably developed around the 10th century AD, at the height of the Middle Ages, when repeated pirate raids had made the nearby city of Nora unsafe. A new village was chosen inland and sheltered, on the western side of the river Riu Pula.
The town's ancient buildings embrace an extensive area, from north to south, tracing an ideal path from the current town hall to the town of Nora, passing by the parish church of San Giovanni Battista.

Pula, chiesa parrocchiale di San Giovanni Battista. Facciata
Pula, chiesa parrocchiale di San Giovanni Battista. Facciata 

The streets of the village feature brilliant and skilfully preserved examples of buildings known as ‘case campidanesi’. Typical of southern Sardinia, these dwellings were built with walls of ladiri (sun-baked mud adobe) framing a central courtyard. ‘Casa Frau’, in the central Piazza del Popolo, is a fantastic example of this type of house.
But the town centre also boasts elegant buildings of the old bourgeoisie, like the ‘Villa Santa Maria’, an aristocratic residence built in 1838 by the famous local architect Gaetano Cima.

Another 19th century building is the palazzo known as the ‘ex-pretura regia’ (Former Royal Courthouse). The building later became the seat of the municipal council and then hosted elementary and secondary schools. Despite the alterations made to adapt the structure to its varying uses over time, one of its three prison cells is still in excellent condition today.

Pula, villa Santa Maria. Veduta dell'edificio e del giardino
Pula, villa Santa Maria. Veduta dell'edificio e del giardino 
Pula, ex pretura regia. Veduta laterale
Pula, ex pretura regia. Veduta laterale 

The local district of Pula covers about 140 square kilometres and borders the municipalities of Santadi, Sarroch, Domus de Maria, Villa San Pietro and Teulada. The earliest traces of human settlement date back to the Neolithic period with the menhir of Punta de Pisolu, erected around the fifth millennium B.C. The Eneolithic village of s'Abuleu was probably built during the late Copper Age (fourth millennium B.C.), while several nuraghi and tombs of the giants bear witness to local settlements between 1600 and 1400 B.C. 

The best-known archaeological site, however, is undoubtedly the Punic-Roman city of Nora, founded around the 8th century B.C. between a lagoon and a promontory overlooking the sea. During the Spanish era, which ran between 1500 and 1600, pirate raids were so common that the watchtowers of Coltellazzo, Cala d'Ostia and San Macario were built to protect the coast.

As in the neighbouring municipalities, the landscapes are those of a varied unique environment. In the north-west, we find high granite mountains and the forests of Is Cannoneris and Piscina Manna, the habitat of the Sardinian deer. The south-east area features the plains of fertile land exploited since ancient times for agricultural and pastoral activities and, of course, the coast, with crystal-clear waters and wide, long beaches of white and golden sand, as in the well-known resort of Santa Margherita di Pula.

Discover the Attractions

Pula, Beach of Is Figus. Veduta dal mare della costa

Beach of Is Figus

The beach of Is Figus is located within the municipal territory of Pula, in southern Sardinia, a short distance from the archaeological ruins of the Punic-Roman city of Nora and the Romanesque church of Sant'Efis, famous for its religious festival of the same name.

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Pula, La notte dei poeti. Some moments of the event

La notte dei poeti

For more than 40 years, the ancient Roman theatre of Nora, in the municipality of Pula, has been the enchanting setting of a spoken word event called La Notte Dei Poeti (The Night of the Poets).

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Pula, Madonna del Mare. Sea procession

Madonna del Mare

25 July 2010 marks a significant date for the municipality of Pula: this when the statue of the Madonna del Mare (Madonna of the Sea) was placed in the depths of the sea of Nora.

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Pula, Pinus Village. Drone view of the coastline

Pinus Village

Pinus Village is a seaside village of holiday homes located in the southwestern end of Santa Margherita di Pula, on the island's southern coast.

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Pula, waterfalls of Riu Alinu

Riu Alinu

In the north-western sector of the municipal territory of Pula, in the heart of the Is Cannoneris forest, lies the locality known as Riu Alinu.

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