South Eastern Sardinia
The Gulf of Angels (Golfo degli Angeli) is a splendid scenery space that appears from the sea on the south side of Sardegna limited by Pula and Nora from the west and by the seaside resorts of Villasimius on the east, through the extreme Capo Carbonara in front of which a remote and wild Isola dei Cavoli is visible. Cagliari - the principal town is hidden like a precious jewellery in the centre of the gulf. The name of the gulf has been inspirited by the old legend that arouses tourist's curiosity. Long time ago Angels asked the God a gift and he promised them a piece of land where they could live in happiness and peace on the condition they find it themselves. The Angels stepped down on the Earth and started to look for such a land but everywhere they found an evil and hatred. They would like to give up when they noted a beautiful, green island surrounded by the sea. The habitants emerged in the beauty of their land used to live simply and quietly taking care of their pasture and their fields. Angels, happy to have finally found the desired land, asked the God to realise his promise. Afterwards they settled down in this wonderful place reminding them the Paradise. Unfortunately they haven't had to wait for the quick reaction of a jealous Lucifer, who started to create confusion and to cause disharmony among the Angels in order to chase them away from the island. They were fought a long time in the waters of the Gulf creating high and strong waves until the devil finally got thrown from his black horse. Lucifer in his furiousness took the saddle and threw it over the hill leaving the mark of it while the Archangel Gabriel in his triumph stood out in the sea with his sparkling spade". Nowadays, this hill is called Devil's Saddle (Sella del Diavolo) and reminds the form of a big saddle. Numerous populations found a refuge in the wonderful sea below the hill – from peaceful Phoenicians through Romans, Bezants, Pisans and Genoas to Spanish and English. The Angels were made to leave the land but the legend says they frequently stop to admire the Gulf from the top and when the sky is getting purple in the sunset, they silently descent to admire the land that used to be their second Paradise. The coasts of the Gulf form interminable beaches with thin and bright sand. The longest one is the beach of Poetto - about 11 km long, only of few minutes from the centre of Cagliari and next to the small tourist port – Marina Piccola. Across the panoramic street with spectacular cliffs and expanses of crystal and transparent water the easter bow unties through beautiful beaches and bays of Capitana, Torre delle Stelle, Solanas, Capo Carbonara, Isola dei Cavoli. There are an infinite number of camping, residences, villas, hotels with series of services and sport activities from typical water sports (including diving and snorkelling) to trekking, horse riding and golf. Regarding the the island history, there are a lot of interesting archaeological points to visit in the Gulf. For example Nora – the Sardinian Atlantis – the antic Phoenician – Punic - Roman town discovered more than ten years of excavations. According to the epigraphic Phoenician documents Nora was considered the most antic settlement of Sardinia. In the neighbourhoods of Nora, in Pula are there is the Tower of Saint Efisio (Torre di Sant'Efisio) of the unknown age, coming probably from around early VII century.