ANTICA CITTÀ DI NORA

According to legend, Nora is the oldest city in Sardinia and was founded by the Phoenician hero Norax, son of Hermes and the nymph Erithya. It is more likely that this city was founded around 700 B.C. by Phoenician merchants who crossed the Mediterranean Sea to trade. They chose the peninsula of Cape Pula and its rocky promontory to lay the foundations of their city. It was in Nora that the famous stele was discovered, dating from the beginning of the 8th century B.C., which is considered to be the oldest written document in Western history. It is also on this stele that appears the word Shrdn, from which the present name of Sardinia is said to be derived. Apart from this stele, only few traces of the Phoenician occupation remain. The port city was taken by the Carthaginians at the beginning of the 6th century BC. Under their occupation, the city prospered and grew. It grew from 300 inhabitants to 3,000. The constructions are then made of dry stones.

The Romans seized the island in 238 BC and continued to develop Nora. They built an amphitheatre and a forum that can still be seen today and, around 150 AD, a spa and a market(macellum). They also built a road network and an efficient sewage system. Some of these structures still retain their mosaic decorations, one of the distinctive features of the ancient city of Nora. It is thought that towards the end of the 2nd century AD a mosaic school was opened in Nora, which would explain the flourishing of this art in the Roman city in the 3rd and 4th centuries. Its main characteristic is the almost constant use of white, ochre and black colours, whose beautiful harmonies can be found, for example, on the pavements of the frigidarium of the central baths. The Romans improved the constructions, used bricks, cut the stones and sealed them with mortar. We can't recommend too strongly that you opt for a guided tour of the archaeological site in order to get the full benefit of it. Some areas of the site only reveal their interest with the lights of a learned person.

In summer, the Roman amphitheatre in Nora is the venue for the Poets' Night festival (in Italian). From the archaeological area of Pula you can admire the nearby Torre del Coltellazzo. The Spanish tower, perched on a promontory of volcanic rock overlooking Nora beach, was built between 1580 and 1610 to defend the coast against Arab invaders.