Arrival in Sardinia and a Day Trip to Pula (Nora)
Once off the ferry we decided to do a bit of exploring and drive to the coastal town of Pula, about 25 minutes from Cagliari. There’s not much in Pula except a 12-mile-long sandy beach, and the ancient ruins of the city, “Nora”. Since the water is pretty chilly, we’re going to the ruins.
Torre Del Coltellazzo (or Tower of Nora)
Nora was an ancient city first founded by the Phoenicians sometime in the 8th century BCE. Findings indicate there have actually been colonies there much earlier but recorded history starts with the Phoenicians. The reason for their settlement here was location. From the isthmus of Capo Pula, it was possible to sail in almost any weather and as such became the crossroads for major trade. Nora was the first Phoenician city in Sardinia but it wasn’t fully developed until the 4th century BCE.
Once you have a good thing, word gets out and along come the Romans. That was in 238 BCE when the Romans decided to take over operations and conquered the town. Not all bad, they built houses, a forum, thermal baths, and insula (apartments) to help with the growing population. By now Nora was close to 8 thousand inhabitants and a very prosperous city. So prosperous, it was made a Roman municipium (a city officially linked to Rome) and the governor’s seat. At that same time, Nora became caput vie, which meant all roads on the island started here.
Outside of the theater
Temple ruins
Temple ruins
Bath house ruin with mosaic floor still in place
Nora
Ruins with walkway / road
Nora enjoyed growth and prosperity for many decades until its abandonment in the 8th century CE. Constant raids by pirates and vandal attacks became too much for the inhabitants of this coastal area, so Nora was abandoned and the inhabitants moved further inland.
The ruins of Nora cover much of the hillside and continue out into the sea. They show that the resident homes mostly had their own water cistern, a city drainage system, an acropolis, a theater, a forum, and as always, thermal baths. The roads built by the Romans are still visible and used today within the city tour. Still amazes me that structures built over 2000 years ago can still have beautiful mosaics, tiles, and frescoes, while the tile in today’s showers can’t last 10 years. Maybe we need to step back…
Bathhouse mosaic. There were 4 bathhouses in Nora.
The Theater. Vomitorium on the right.
Supports for flooring at the theater
Walkway / road
Bathhouse mosaic
Bathhouse mosaic
Sewer
Today you can visit the ruins of this large city for the nominal fee of 8EUR per person (senior fare), 10EUR for you youngsters.
After about 2 hours of touring the Nora ruins, it was time to head off to Costa Rei and meet our Airbnb hosts. The drive is about 1hr 20minutes and it looks like a bit of rain is settling in. Good time to go.