Phoenician traders chose this spit of land in the 8th century BC. Carthage and Rome built on top. The result is Sardinia’s most scenic ancient city, with a theater facing the sea.
On siteRoman theater, mosaics, baths, temple terraces, on the water
The steleThe Nora Stone, with one of the earliest mentions of “Sardinia”, now in Cagliari
Time needed1.5 hours, plus the beach next door
Mosaics at the floor, archaeological site Nora, Pula, Sardinia, Italy · photo Norbert Nagel · CC BY-SA 3.0 · via Wikimedia Commons
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Sardinia, Italy
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Nora follows the classic Sardinian coastal sequence. Phoenician traders planted an emporium on this peninsula in the 8th century BC. Carthage absorbed it. Rome took the island in 238 BC and made Nora a proper town with theater, baths and mosaic-floored houses. What sets it apart is the setting, the ruins run right to the waterline on both sides of the promontory, and the small Roman theater still hosts summer performances with the sea as backdrop. Parts of the ancient city are underwater, visible to snorkellers on calm days.
The stone that named an island
Nora’s most consequential find isn't on site: the Nora Stone, a Phoenician inscription of the 9th–8th century BC, carries one of the earliest written occurrences of the name that became “Sardinia”. It lives in the Cagliari museum, which makes the ideal same-day pairing, the site in the morning, the finds in the afternoon. Sister sites complete the picture: Tharros on the west coast and Punic Monte Sirai near Carbonia.
Therme a mare (right), archaeological site Nora, Pula, Sardinia, Italy · photo Norbert Nagel · CC BY-SA 3.0 · via Wikimedia Commons
Practical
Nora is an easy 40-minute drive from Cagliari, past Pula. Summer visits work best early or late, when the light is kind and the heat is not. The lagoon beside the site hosts flamingos, and the beach of Su Guventeddu next door solves the rest of the day. Guided visits run in season. The ticket office keeps shorter winter hours.
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