Aldamati Travel Tourism: Quartu Sant'Elena, Sardinia

Quartu Sant'Elena, Sardinia Italy

Quartu Sant'Elena is a city and comune in the Metropolitan City of Cagliari on the island of Sardinia, Italy, located about four miles east of Cagliari along an ancient Roman road. It is the third-largest city in Sardinia, with a population of 71,216 as of 2015. The city’s name derives from its distance from Cagliari (Quartum miles, Latin for “four miles”) and from the passage through the area of St. Helena, mother of Emperor Constantine. Evidence of human presence in Quartu dates back to the Prenuragic, Nuragic, and Phoenician periods, as shown by archaeological finds in the localities of Cepola, Geremeas, Is Mortorius, and Separassiu. Roman remains have been discovered near the Sant’Andrea villa, including a cemetery at S. Martino and several tombs at Simbirizzi. In the 11th century AD, Sardinia was divided into four Giudicati (judgedoms), and Quartu—comprising fourteen villages—belonged to the Giudicato of Cagliari. In 1066, Quartu was given to the Archbishop of Cagliari, and later returned to Judge Torchitorio II of Cagliari. Under Aragonese rule, the town suffered famines, plague, malaria, and repeated raids by Saracen pirates, mirroring the broader decline affecting all of Sardinia. In 1793, soldiers from a French fleet landed on the coast of Quartu intending to conquer the island, but the townspeople, led by Antonio Pisanu, attacked and repelled them after a bloody battle. Feudalism ended in 1836 under Baron Pes di Villamarina. In 1956, Quartu Sant’Elena was granted the status of “city” 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