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Cagliari, Italia



 


Tree: Nederlandse voorouders

Notes:
Cagliari About this sound listen (help·info) (Italian pronunciation: ˈkaʎʎari, Sardinian: Casteddu) is the capital of the island of Sardinia, a region of Italy. Cagliari's Sardinian name Casteddu literally means castle. It has about 160,000 inhabitants, or about 400,000 including the outlying townships (metropolitan area): Elmas, Assemini, Capoterra, Selargius, Sestu, Monserrato, Quartucciu, Quartu Sant'Elena.



An ancient city with a long history, Cagliari has seen the occupation of several civilisations. Seat of the important University of Cagliari and the Primate Roman Catholic archdiocese of Sardinia, the city is an important regional cultural, educational, political and artistic centre, known for its diverse Art Nouveau architecture, vibrant nightlife and several monuments. It is also Sardinia's economic and industrial hub, having one of biggest ports in the Mediterranean sea, an international airport, and the 28th highest income rate in Italy, comparable to several Northern cities, such as Vicenza, Genoa and Turin.



History



Early history



Cagliari has been inhabited since ancient times. It occupies a favourable position between the sea and a fertile plain, and is surrounded by two swamps (which afforded defences from enemies from inner lands) and is close to high and green mountains (to which people could evacuate if everything else was lost). Some testimonies of prehistoric inhabitants were found in Monte Claro and in Cape Sant'Elia.



Under the name of Karalis it was established around the 7th century BC as one of a string of Phoenician colonies in Sardinia, including Tharros. Its foundation is expressly assigned to its opportune situation for communication with Africa as well as its excellent port, it doubtless assumed under their government the same important position it occupied under the Romans. It passed with the rest of the island first to the control of Carthage and then to Rome in 238 BC when the Romans defeated the Carthaginians. No mention of it is found on the occasion of the Roman conquest of the island; but during the Second Punic War, it was the headquarters of the praetor, T. Manlius, from whence he carried on his operations against Hampsicora and the Carthaginians, and appears on other occasions also as the chief naval station of the Romans in the island, and the residence of the praetor.



Florus calls it the urbs urbinum, or capital of Sardinia, and represents it as taken and severely punished by Gracchus, but this statement is wholly at variance with the account given by Livy, of the wars of Gracchus, in Sardinia, according to which the cities were faithful to Rome, and the revolt was confined to the mountain tribes. In the Civil War between Caesar and Pompey, the citizens of Caralis were the first to declare in favor of the former, an example soon followed by the other cities of Sardinia; and Caesar himself touched there with his fleet on his return from Africa. A few years later, when Sardinia fell into the hands of Menas, the lieutenant of Sextus Pompeius, Caralis was the only city which offered any resistance, but was taken after a short siege.



No mention of it occurs in history under the Roman Empire, but it continued to be regarded as the capital of the island, and though it did not become a colony, its inhabitants obtained the rights of Roman citizens. After the fall of the Western Empire it fell, together with the rest of Sardinia, into the hands of the Vandals, but appears to have retained its importance throughout the Middle Ages.



Claudian describes the ancient city as extending to a considerable length towards the promontory or headland, the projection of which sheltered its port: the latter affords good anchorage for large vessels; but besides this, which is only a well-sheltered road-stead, there is adjoining the city a large salt-water lake, or lagoon, called the Stagno di Cagliari, communicating by a narrow channel with the bay, which appears from Claudian to have been used in ancient times as an inner harbor or basin. The promontory adjoining the city is evidently that noticed by Ptolemy (Κάραλις πόλις καὶ ἄκρα), but the Caralitanum Promontorium of Pliny can be no other than the headland, now called Capo Carbonara, which forms the eastern boundary of the Gulf of Cagliari, and the southeast point of the whole island. Immediately off it lay the little island of Ficaria, now called the Isola dei Cavoli.



Giudicato of Cagliari



Subsequently ruled in turn by the Vandals and the Byzantine Empire, Cagliari became the eponymous capital of an independent kingdom or giudicato, ruled by a giudice or judike (literally "judge"). However, there is some evidence that during this period of independence from external rule, the city was deserted because it was too exposed to attacks by Moorish pirates from the sea. Apparently many people left Cagliari and founded a new town (named Santa Igia) in an area close to the Santa Gilla swamp on the west of Cagliari, but distant from the sea. The giudicato of Cagliari comprised a large area of the Campidano plain, the mineral resources of the Sulcis region and the mountain region of Ogliastra. There were other three independent and autonomous giudicati in Sardinia: Logudoro (or Torres) in the northwest, Gallura in the northeast, and in the east the most famous, the long-lived Giudicato of Arborea, with Oristano as its capital.



11th century



During the 11th century, the Pisan republic which had previously seized the Sulcis region in the south west, conquered the Giudicato of Cagliari and re-built the town itself. Pisa was one of the four Italian "maritime republics" that during the Middle Ages fought for control of the Mediterranean Sea and its commercial routes. The other maritime republics were the short-lived Duchy of Amalfi, Genoa, and Venice. Pisa and Genoa had a keen interest in Sardinia because it was a perfect strategic base for controlling the commercial routes between Italy and North Africa.



Some of the fortifications that still surround the current district of Castello (Casteddu 'e susu in the Sardinian language) were built by the Pisans, most notably the two remaining white limestone towers designed by architect Giovanni Capula (originally there were three towers that guarded the three gates that gave access to the district). Together with the district of Castello, Cagliari comprised the districts of Marina (which included the port), Stampace and Villanova. Marina and Stampace were guarded by walls, while Villanova, which mainly hosted peasants, was not.



In 1089, Constantine Salusio de Lacon appeared with the title of rex et iudex Caralitanus ("King and Judge of Cagliari").



14th to 17th centuries



During the 14th century the Kingdom of Aragon conquered Cagliari after a battle against the Pisans and advanced its plan to conquer all of Sardinia. When Sardinia was finally conquered by Crown of Aragon, Cagliari became the administrative capital of the viceroyalty of Sardinia, which later came under the rule of the Castilian/Spanish Empire. However the orientation towards the Americas, Sardinia and consequentially Cagliari lost strategic importance as Spain centered on its Atlantic dominions and not its Mediterranean ones.



18th century



In 1718, after a brief rule of the Austrian Habsburgs, Cagliari and Sardinia came under the House of Savoy. As ruler of Sardinia, the Savoys took the title of kings of the Sardinian kingdom. The Sardinian kingdom comprised Savoy and Nice (currently in France), Piedmont and Liguria, as well as Sardinia. Although Sardinian by name, the kingdom had its capital in Turin, in mainland Italy, where the Savoys resided. The parliament was also in Turin and its members were mainly aristocrats from Piedmont or the mainland.



By the end of the 18th century, after the French Revolution, France tried to conquer Cagliari because of its strategic role in the Mediterranean sea. A French army landed in the Poetto beach and moved towards Cagliari, but the French were defeated by Sardinians who decided to defend themselves against the revolutionary army. People from Cagliari hoped to receive some concession from the Savoys in return for their defending the town: for example, aristocrats from Cagliari asked for a Sardinian representative in the parliament of the kingdom. When the Savoys refused any concession to the Sardinians, inhabitants of Cagliari rose up against the Savoys and expelled all representatives of the kingdom and people from Piedmont. This insurgence is celebrated in Cagliari during the "Die de sa Sardigna" (Sardinian Day) on the last weekend of April. However the Savoys regained control of the town after a brief period of autonomous rule.



Modern age



From the 1870s, with the unification of Italy, the city experienced a century of rapid growth. Many outstanding buildings were erected by the end of the 19th century during the office of Mayor Ottone Bacaredda. Many of these buildings combined influences from Art Nouveau together with the traditional Sardinian taste for flower decoration: an example is the white marble City Hall near the port. Ottone Bacaredda is also famous for the violent repression of one of the earlier worker strikes in the beginning of the 20th century.



During World War II Cagliari was heavily bombed by the Allies in February 1943. In order to escape from the bombardments and the misery of the destroyed town, many people left Cagliari and moved to the country or rural villages, often living with friends and relatives in overcrowded houses. This flight from the town is known as "sfollamento" (deserting).



After the Italian armistice with the Allies in September 1943, the German Army took control of Cagliari and the island, but soon retreated peacefully in order to reinforce their positions in mainland Italy. The American Army then took control of Cagliari. Cagliari was strategically important during the war because of its location in the Mediterranean Sea. Many airports were near Cagliari (Elmas, Monserrato, Decimomannu, currently a NATO airbase) from which airplanes could fly to Northern Africa or mainland Italy and Sicily.



After the war, the population of Cagliari rebounded and many apartment blocks were erected in new residential districts, often created with poor planning as for recreational areas.



Projects for the future



In the last years a great urban development was started in Cagliari. New projects include the new Betile museum for Nuragic and modern art, designed by the Prizker Award winner Zaha Hadid: it will rise on the Sant'Elia promenade. Another already started project is the Cagliari metro: the first line is already running from Piazza Repubblica to Monserrato, one of Cagliari suburbs, and will be soon connected to University campus; works for other lines to all the city suburbs and the airport will be soon started. The promenade from the old harbour to Sant'Elia will be totally restored. The old port in Via Roma, now to be used only as tourist and cruise port (where the cruise terminal is already finished), will be closed to ferry-boats, which will be moved to the new port in “porto canale”.



All Sant'elia district will be changed, the old ruined apartment buildings will be demolished and a new district designed by Rem Koolhaas will rise. Also the Stadium will be demolished and rebuilt as a new stadium, with 25,000 covered seats, usable for concerts and events too. On the promenade will also rise a great amphitheatre (20,000 seats) for concerts, as well as an aquarium where now is the old salt production plant. Other projects include the new district near the Santa Gilla pond (Piazza Santa Gilla), a luxurious beauty-center on the Poetto beach, where now is the old abandoned “Marino” hospital, the new university campus, designed by Paulo Mendes da Rocha, and the new “Parco della musica”, a great park with an amphitheatre and fountains, channels and water-games, between T-hotel and the Civic Theatre; the latter will be finished by the end of the year, while the other works will be finished by 2010-2011.

City/Town : Latitude: 39.215583756280374, Longitude: 9.11139965057373


Birth

Matches 1 to 1 of 1

   Last Name, Given Name(s)    Birth    Person ID   Tree 
1 Pierangeli, Anna Maria  Sun 19 Jun 1932Cagliari, Italia I667993 Nederlandse voorouders 

Death

Matches 1 to 1 of 1

   Last Name, Given Name(s)    Death    Person ID   Tree 
1 Flik, Jan Derks  Fri 29 May 1874Cagliari, Italia I213447 Nederlandse voorouders 

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