Cagliari Shore Excursion: Barumini Unesco Site Tour

After you take the free shuttle from your pier to the passenger terminal (1 minute), your guide for the day will meet you at your cruise terminal, where you will board your transportation to the town of Barumini. The 45-minute drive is beautiful and scenic, which will make the ride seem short. Your guide will be giving you information throughout the excursion. As it is just you and your small group for the day, all of the attention and details will be on you.

You will spend approximately 1 hour at Casa Zapata, an on-site museum that was once the palace of the Aragonese nobles. The Hispanic style house was built over the ruins of a nuraghe in the 16th century. The archaeological section of Casa Zapata is located in the oldest part of the beautiful palace, housing an impressive collection of over 180 artifacts, including the family crest. Inside the historical section, numerous vital documents are belonging to the Zapata family. There is also an ethnographic section where you will find some of the more common tools used by the ancient village inhabitants. The house itself is still a stunning example of opulence and architecture.

Su Nuraxi, "The Nuraghe" in the native Campidanese language, was a settlement build in the 17th century BCE and was inhabited up until the 6th century. Nuraghe is a type of megalithic tower-like structure. You will have approximately 2 hours to explore the archaeological site of Su Nuraxi. The Nuragic village discovered by professor Giovanni Lilliu in the 1950s. Although the real function of this nuraghe is still not known, it could have been any number of things, including a fortress, a religious site, a refuge, or even the place of parliament. The entire village consisted of towers and between 40 and 200 huts, used for meetings of local leaders, workshops, kitchens, and agricultural processing. A sewage system and a paved square with streets appear to have been built during the 9th-8th century. Throughout your experience, your guide will be with you to share information about the sites you visit.

At the end of this exciting adventure, your fantastic guide will return you to your cruise port in Cagliari.