Pula (

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

: Nora) is a ''

comune A (; : , ) is an administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions () and provinces (). The can also have the City status in Italy, titl ...

'' (municipality) in the

Metropolitan City of Cagliari The Metropolitan City of Cagliari (; Sardinian language, Sardinian: ''tzittadi metropolitana de Casteddu'') is a Metropolitan cities of Italy, metropolitan city in Sardinia, Italy. Its capital is the city of Cagliari and includes 17 ''comuni'' ( ...

in the

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

region of

Sardinia Sardinia ( ; ; ) is the Mediterranean islands#By area, second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, and one of the Regions of Italy, twenty regions of Italy. It is located west of the Italian Peninsula, north of Tunisia an ...

, located about southwest of

Cagliari Cagliari (, , ; ; ; Latin: ''Caralis'') is an Comune, Italian municipality and the capital and largest city of the island of Sardinia, an Regions of Italy#Autonomous regions with special statute, autonomous region of Italy. It has about 146,62 ...

. It has 7,090 inhabitants. Pula is a holiday resort, with numerous hotels and beaches. The ruins of the ancient city of

Nora Nora, NORA, or Norah may refer to: * Nora (name), a feminine given name People with the surname * Arlind Nora (born 1980), Albanian footballer * Pierre Nora (1931–2025), French historian * Simon Nora (1921–2006), French politician Place ...

are among the most important archaeological sites of the island.

History

Archaeological site Nora - Pula - Sardinia - Italy - 22

Pula is located near the ancient city of

. Nora was built by

Phoenicia Phoenicians were an Ancient Semitic-speaking peoples, ancient Semitic group of people who lived in the Phoenician city-states along a coastal strip in the Levant region of the eastern Mediterranean, primarily modern Lebanon and the Syria, Syrian ...

ns around the 8th century BC. There is evidence that Pula rose on a pre-existing

Nuragic The nuraghe, or nurhag, is the main type of ancient megalithic edifice found in Sardinia, Italy, developed during the Nuragic Age between 1900 and 730 BC. Today it has come to be the symbol of Sardinia and its distinctive culture known a ...

settlement or according, to legend, by

Iberians The Iberians (, from , ''Iberes'') were an ancient people settled in the eastern and southern coasts of the Iberian Peninsula, at least from the 6th century BC. They are described in Greek and Roman sources (among others, by Hecataeus of Mil ...

brought to Sardinia by

Norax Norax () was an ancient mythological hero of the Nuragic Sardinian mythology. He was the son of the god Hermes and Eriteide (Erytheia), who was the daughter of Geryon. Norax appears in the writings of Pausanias, Sallust and Solinus. Mythology ...

. In the following centuries, the city was ruled by the

Carthaginians The Punic people, usually known as the Carthaginians (and sometimes as Western Phoenicians), were a Semitic people, Semitic people who Phoenician settlement of North Africa, migrated from Phoenicia to the Western Mediterranean during the Iron ...

, and then by the

Romans Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...

. The Romans made Nora the capital of Corsica and Sardinia for a short time, before giving the title to the nearby

Caralis Cagliari (, , ; ; ; Latin: ''Caralis'') is an Italian municipality and the capital and largest city of the island of Sardinia, an autonomous region of Italy. It has about 146,627 inhabitants, while its metropolitan city, 16 other nearby muni ...

(modern Cagliari). After the fall of the

Western Roman Empire In modern historiography, the Western Roman Empire was the western provinces of the Roman Empire, collectively, during any period in which they were administered separately from the eastern provinces by a separate, independent imperial court. ...

, Nora, like many other Sardinian coastal cities, suffered continuous raids from the

Vandals The Vandals were a Germanic people who were first reported in the written records as inhabitants of what is now Poland, during the period of the Roman Empire. Much later, in the fifth century, a group of Vandals led by kings established Vand ...

and later the

Saracen upright 1.5, Late 15th-century German woodcut depicting Saracens ''Saracen'' ( ) was a term used both in Greek and Latin writings between the 5th and 15th centuries to refer to the people who lived in and near what was designated by the Rom ...

s, and eventually ceased to exist from about the 8th century AD. Modern Pula appeared during the Middle Ages as a village called ''Padulis de Nura'' or Nora Marsh, which was part of the

Giudicato of Cagliari The Judicate of Cagliari (, ) was one of the Sardinian medieval kingdoms, four kingdoms or judicates (''iudicati'', literally "judgeship") into which Sardinia was divided during the Middle Ages. The Judicate of Cagliari occupied the entire southe ...

. It was incorporated into the crown possessions of

Aragon Aragon ( , ; Spanish and ; ) is an autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in Spain, coextensive with the medieval Kingdom of Aragon. In northeastern Spain, the Aragonese autonomous community comprises three provinces of Spain, ...

in 1355, after the death of

Gherardo della Gherardesca Gherardo is a given name. Notable people with the name include: * Gherardo Appiani (1370–1405), the lord of Piombino from 1398 until his death *Gherardo Bosio (1903–1941), Italian architect, engineer and urbanist * Gherardo III da Camino (1240 ...

the younger and was entrusted to various feudal lords. In the 18th century, there was a revival of agriculture, mainly due to agricultural reclamation promoted by religious groups, and then by the state. Agricultural reclamation intensified the development of olive and fruit growing.

Demographics

Sights

City center

The Giovanni Patroni Civic Museum, located on Corso Vittorio Emanuele in the heart of Pula, houses relics discovered during archaeological excavations of Nora. In the church of San Giovanni Battista (St. John the Baptist) are two marble

sarcophagi A sarcophagus (: sarcophagi or sarcophaguses) is a coffin, most commonly carved in stone, and usually displayed above ground, though it may also be buried. The word ''sarcophagus'' comes from the Greek σάρξ ' meaning "flesh", and φ� ...

, one of which contains the remains of the Duchess of St. Peter Agostina Deroma, who died in 1759. On the Piazza del Popolo is the Villa Santa Maria, designed by

Gaetano Cima Gaetano Cima (1805 in Cagliari – 1878 in Cagliari) was an Italian architect, exponent of the neoclassical movement. Biography Gaetano Cima was born in Cagliari, Sardinia by an upper-middle-class family. Gaetano Cima died in Cagliari in 1878 ...

in the first half of the 19th century, and built on the ruins of an ancient church of the same name.

Nora

On the Promontory of Capo di Pula are the ruins of the ancient city of Nora. The remains were discovered accidentally when a violent storm uncovered part of a funerary tophet. More discoveries followed; one of the most striking was a Roman theatre. Since its excavation, the theater has been used for occasional concerts during the summer. Not far away a single column indicates a

Roman temple Ancient Roman temples were among the most important buildings in culture of ancient Rome, Roman culture, and some of the richest buildings in Architecture of ancient Rome, Roman architecture, though only a few survive in any sort of complete ...

and adjacent to it is a forum - the social and economic center of the city. A temple is dedicated to the goddess

Tanit Tanit or Tinnit (Punic language, Punic: 𐤕𐤍𐤕 ''Tīnnīt'' (JStor)) was a chief deity of Ancient Carthage; she derives from a local Berber deity and the consort of Baal Hammon. As Ammon is a local Libyan deity, so is Tannit, who represents ...

; the identity of the goddess was supported by the discovery of a stone pyramid. Another building appears to be a spa complex. The size of its ruins suggest that it was a very impressive structure.

Other sights

Just before the site of

, stands the church of Sant'Efisio (12th century). It was built in the place where the saint was martyred. At the foot of the sanctuary lies Guventeddu beach (from the Sardinian ''Guventeddu'', meaning small convent). The Center for Environmental Education is located at the Lagoon of Nora. This aquarium contains marine species that are most representative of the lagoon ecosystem. After the lagoon, along the coast road, are the beaches of Punta d' Agumu and Foxi 'e Sali. The tourist village of Santa Margherita di Pula, now a ''

frazione A ''frazione'' (: ''frazioni'') is a type of subdivision of a ''comune'' ('municipality') in Italy, often a small village or hamlet outside the main town. Most ''frazioni'' were created during the Fascist era (1922–1943) as a way to consolidat ...

'' of the ''comune'', initially grew around a church dedicated to the Holy Martyr. The large pine forest was planted in the postwar period, in conjunction with projects of agrarian transformation. Prior to the suspension of international tennis in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 coronavirus, the village also hosted regular ITF tournaments on the clay courts at the Forte Village Resort. Between Pula and Santa Margherita di Pula are campgrounds at Cala d'Ostia, and long beaches with a marina at Cala Verde.

Culture

Pula is home to

Polaris Polaris is a star in the northern circumpolar constellation of Ursa Minor. It is designated α Ursae Minoris (Latinisation of names, Latinized to ''Alpha Ursae Minoris'') and is commonly called the North Star or Pole Star. With an ...

, the Science and Technology Park of Sardinia, a multidisciplinary research center that focuses on biomedicine, data fusion, energy and environment, and the information society. With more than 60 companies and research centers, Polaris is one of the largest science parks in Italy.Assobiotec-Ernst & Young report "Biotechnology in Italy 2010" Schools in Pula include the Alberghiera School, the Wiseword English School, and a Trinity Centre for international qualifications.

References

External links

www.comune.pula.ca.it/
{{Authority control Cities and towns in Sardinia