The San Pancrazio Tower | Hotel Italia 3 stars Cagliari

A glimpse of the towers summons up a sense of history and of the past being still with us.

The tower keeps watch over the Castello quarter, which constituted the original part of the city, and rises up above its still-standing buildings.

A testament to a world that is no longer with us, this is the oldest and tallest of Cagliari’s towers.

Built in 1305 by the Pisans, like its twin – the Elephant’s Tower – it was intended to defend the northern part of the city.

Sited at the highest point of the hill, from the top of the tower you are afforded 360˚ views of the city.

It was one of the main access points to the Castello quarter, but over the centuries it has performed multiple different functions.

In 1600, due to successive waves of construction, it lost its function as a gateway and became a prison, where the unfortunate inhabitants lived in woeful conditions.

The tower is a must-see for any visitor to Cagliari.