A family-run business since 1955, now with five locations across town, Pirani serves breakfast pastries and cakes alongside a glorious culurgiones dumpling on pecorino fondue with Sichuan pepper, broad beans and balsamic sauce. At its newest spot inside the elegant Palazzo Doglio, make sure to try its pizzetta sfoglia (flaky puff pastry topped with tomato, capers and anchovies) for a serious taste of Cagliari.

At Luigi Pomata, Sardinian tradition meets a cosmopolitan sensibility, shaped by the chef’s roots in the island of Carloforte and years in kitchens from New York to London. Known as the “chef of red tuna,” don’t miss his iconic Girotonno tasting – an inventive journey through tuna, from tonno tonnato and tartare with mozzarella foam to ventresca with aubergine and toasted hazelnuts–showcasing the ingredient at its best.

This former salt-producing landscape has become one of the Mediterranean’s most unusual urban nature reserves. Shallow pink-hued salt pans stretch across the wetlands, where flocks of flamingos wade year-round. Walking and cycling paths are available throughout the lagoons, and visitors can explore the park by bike, on horseback or simply on foot, making it ideal for birdwatching and sunset strolls between city and sea.