of
Cagliari, in the centre of the south coast of the island. The medieval town
occupies a long narrow hill running N. and S. with precipitous [v.04
p.0946] cliffs on the E. and W. which must have been the ancient acropolis,
but the modern town, like the Roman town before it, extends to the slopes
of the hill and to the low ground by the sea. On each side of the town are
lagoons. That of S. Gilla on the W., which produces fish in abundance, was
originally an open bay. That of Molentargius on the E. has large saltpans.
The upper town still retains in part its fortifications, including the two
great towers at the two extremities, called the Torre dell' Elefante (S.)
and the Torre di S. Pancrazio (N.), both erected by the Pisans, the former
in 1307, the latter in 1305. The Torre di S. Pancrazio at the highest point
(367 ft. above sea-level) commands a magnificent view. Close to it is the
archaeological museum, the most important in the island. To the north of it
are the modern citadel and the barracks, and beyond, a public promenade.
The narrow streets run from north to south for the whole length of the
upper town. On the edge of the cliffs on the E. is the cathedral, built in
1257-1312 by the Pisans, and retaining two of the original transept doors.
The pulpit of the same period is also fine: it now stands, divided into
two, on each side of the entrance, while the lions which supported it are
on the balustrade in front of the cathedral (see E. Brunelli in _L'Arte_,
Rome, 1901, 59; D. Scano, _ibid._ 204). Near the sacristy are also some
Gothic chapels of the Aragonese period. The church was, however, remodelled
in 1676, and the interior is baroque. Two fine silver candelabra, the
tabernacle and the altar front are of the 17th century; and the treasury
also contains some good silver work. (See D. Scano in _Bolletino d'Arte_,
February 1907, p. 14; and E. Brunelli in _L'Arte_, 1907, p. 47.) The crypt
contains three ancient sarcophagi. The facade, in the baroque style, was
added in 1703. The university, a little farther north, the buildings of
which were erected in 1764, has some 240 students. At the south extremity
of the hill, on the site of the bastian of south Caterina, a large terrace,
the Passeggiata Umberto Primo, has been constructed: it is much in use on
summer evenings, and has a splendid view. Below it are covered promenades,
and from it steps descend to the lower town, the oldest part of which (the
so-called Marina), s