Aldamati Travel Tourism: Quartu Sant'Elena, Sardinia

Quartu Sant'Elena, Sardinia Italy

Quartu Sant'Elena, situated about four miles east of Cagliari along an ancient Roman road, is a city and comune in the Metropolitan City of Cagliari, on the island of Sardinia, Italy. It is the third-largest city in Sardinia, with a population of 71,216 as of 2015. The city’s name derives partly from its distance from Cagliari (Quartum miles, Latin for “four miles”) and partly from the passage through the area of St Helena, mother of the emperor Constantine. Evidence of human presence in Quartu dates back to the Prenuragic, Nuragic and Phoenician periods, as shown by discoveries in the areas of Cepola, Geremeas, Is Mortorius and Separassiu. Roman remains have been found near the villa of Sant’Andrea, in a burial ground at S. Martino, and in a number of tombs at Simbirizzi. In the 11th century AD, when Sardinia was divided into four Giudicati, Quartu – which then included fourteen villages – formed part of the Giudicato of Cagliari. In 1066 Quartu was granted to the Archbishop of Cagliari, before returning to Judge Torchitorio II of Cagliari. Under Aragonese rule, Quartu endured famine, plague, malaria and repeated raids by Saracen pirates, mirroring the general decline experienced across Sardinia. In 1793, soldiers from a French fleet landed on the coast at Quartu with the aim of conquering the entire island; the townspeople, led by Antonio Pisanu, attacked the French forces and drove them back after a fierce and bloody battle. Feudalism was abolished in 1836 under Baron Pes di Villamarina. In 1956 Quartu Sant’Elena was officially granted city status by the President of Italy, Giovanni Gronchi.

Recommended airport

Cagliari Elmas Airport (CAG)

Nearby destinations

Quartu Sant'Elena, Sardinia, Italy

Quartu Sant'Elena, Sardinia Italy