It takes time to cross the center on foot. And courage.

Because via Manno in Cagliari at 9.30 is already an almost impenetrable human wall of tourists : you have to stop to avoid being overwhelmed by a group of Spaniards as compact as a tortoise or run to anticipate a new wave of French and Polish tourists.

The climate is summer, the crowd is everywhere throughout the day : in Castello, in Stampace, in the Marina, at Poetto . Queues also to access the Archaeological museum (free yesterday), sold out restaurants in the historic center and on the seafront where to find a place for lunch you have to "come back for dinner", they say.

Here is the other April 25 of Cagliari: a city overrun by tourists.

There are those who arrived in the city over the weekend, for the bridge : «Cagliari is a beautiful city, "old style" buildings in their perfectly preserved condition are a rarity. Then the sea, the ice cream, these spaghetti with mussels», mussels but are actually clams. "Everything is wonderful," says Prudence, from Lille. «The climate, the food, the monuments: vote 10», add Martin, Sylvia, Aria and Amyn, from Krakow, as they try to climb the Elephant Tower. "Why is it closed?" they ask.

Mauro Madedu

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