Around 800 BC, Phoenician traders from Lebanon founded Nora on a peninsula at the southern tip of Sardinia. It was the first urban settlement on the island — before this, Sardinia's civilization was the nuragic culture of stone towers and sacred wells. The Carthaginians took over, then the Romans, and each civilization built on top of the last. Today Nora is one of the most scenic archaeological sites in the Mediterranean: Roman mosaics, a theater with the sea as its backdrop, thermal baths whose hypocaust heating systems are visible, and all of it surrounded by beaches of white sand and turquoise water. You can swim before your ruins and after your ruins. Sardinia guide → · Cagliari →
Plan my Sardinia trip →The Roman theater: Partially restored, with the sea visible behind the stage — one of the most photogenic archaeological views in Sardinia. Summer concerts are held here. Mosaic floors: Several Roman houses have preserved black-and-white geometric mosaics, some with marine themes (appropriate, given the location). Terme a Mare (Sea Baths): Roman thermal baths with intact hypocaust pillars (the underfloor heating system) visible. The baths sat directly on the waterline — bathers looked out at the sea. The Phoenician tophet: a sacred area where votive offerings were deposited. The Punic-Roman temple: dedicated to the Punic goddess Tanit, later rededicated to a Roman deity. Columns re-erected.
Much of ancient Nora is underwater — sea level changes and subsidence have submerged parts of the city. On calm days, you can see walls and structures below the surface from the shore.
Address: Pula (30km south of Cagliari). Tickets: €8 (includes guided tour — Italian, ask for English). Hours: 9am-8pm summer, 9am-5:30pm winter. Duration: 1.5 hours. Getting there: ARST bus from Cagliari to Pula (50min), then 3km walk or taxi to the site. By car: 30min from Cagliari. The beach: Spiaggia di Nora is directly adjacent — white sand, shallow water, bring a towel and combine ruins with swimming. Combine with: Cagliari (30min), Chia beaches (30min south — among Sardinia's best), Su Nuraxi Barumini nuraghe (1h north).