Sardinia: Exploring the Ancient Ruins of Nora

Where should we go?  This is the first question one faces when planning a vacation.  There are so many places in the world to visit which made choosing a cruise a difficult task.  She would pick a date and  read me a list of various port stops.  When she mentioned Sardinia in one of the itineraries I told her to stop, we have found the perfect cruise, I wanted to go to Sardinia.  

There was just one little problem.

I had forgotten to check exactly where those beautiful beaches were located.

When my daughter looked through our excursion options, she discovered that the beaches I had been admiring on Pinterest were on the other side of the island. They were not an option for our day in port.

She was not too disappointed, though. She had been looking forward to visiting the ancient ruins of Nora.

So, instead of chasing those beautiful beaches, we chose an excursion called “Nora – A Walk Through Ancient Times.”

As it turned out, it was a wonderful choice.

The Ruins of Nora

Nora was one of the earliest Phoenician settlements in Sardinia, with Phoenician activity at the site dating back to the 8th century BC. Over the centuries, the city came under Carthaginian, or Punic, influence and eventually Roman rule.

Much of what visitors see today comes from the Roman period, when Nora developed into an important and prosperous city. The Romans added many of the features we can still see today, including the forum, theater, thermal baths, and impressive homes.

As much as I enjoyed the history, I think what surprised me most was the landscape.

The ruins sit right beside the sea, and everywhere you look there is a combination of ancient stone, green vegetation, blue water, and sky.

At one point, I looked around and thought the landscape reminded me of Ireland.

That was not something I expected to think while visiting Sardinia!

My Thoughts on Nora

I really enjoyed our excursion to Nora. The location was beautiful, the history was fascinating, and I am glad my daughter talked me into choosing it.

One of my favorite parts of the ruins was seeing the ancient mosaics. I kept thinking about how much has happened in the nearly two thousand years since they were created, yet these beautiful designs are still here. There is something amazing about standing in a place where people lived so long ago and seeing something they created that has survived all of this time.

                                 The landscape reminded me of Ireland.  

Would I choose it again if I had the opportunity?

Probably not.

That is not because Nora was disappointing. It was actually a beautiful and interesting place to visit. But after seeing Pompeii, I found myself comparing the two, and Pompeii had a much greater impact on me.

Still, I am glad I got to see Nora.

And while I never did make it to those postcard-perfect Sardinian beaches I had been dreaming about, I discovered something else instead — a beautiful ancient city overlooking the sea.

Sometimes the places we did not plan to see end up becoming part of the adventure.