Among the historic districts of Cagliari, Castello is the one that has best preserved the original constituent elements, starting with the road layout and the character of the buildings. The changes present are a consequence of the intense aerial bombardments of the allies in the winter of 1943: some buildings were destroyed, some were rebuilt with the current typology (1950-1960), others restored or conspicuously consolidated and still others - unfortunately - left in a state of rubble. . Almost all the buildings have only two free fronts: the one on the street and the one behind (not always present); the other two sides are blind, adhering to the other buildings.
The district has an extension of about 12 hectares. The development of the walls, border of the district with the historic center, is 2.5 km. It has a degrading trend from the dominant part (piazza Indipendenza, on the north side of the district, about 100 meters above sea level) towards the lower part (via Santa Croce, west side, about 67 meters above sea level, and via Università, south side, about 60. The neighborhood has six entrances.
The general layout is the original one, set in the Pisan era, starting from the thirteenth century. The main route is north-south, consisting of the most important streets which are parallel to each other and have an almost straight course. The secondary road layout, running east-west, is essentially made up of alleys. The street area of the district and the underground services have been completely renovated in recent times. The section has a limited width and relative height of the elevations. The roadway is generally sloping.
There are few wide open spaces in the neighborhood: the Indipendenza, Arsenale, Palazzo and Carlo Alberto squares, the pedestrian terraces of the ramparts of Saint Remy, Santa Caterina and Santa Croce.
Attention: via dei Genovesi is part of the limited traffic area of the Castello district: between 24.00 and 9.00 transit and parking are allowed only with the pass issued by the Municipality.
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