Description of the attraction
Santa Gilla is a natural area of about 8 thousand acres, located in the municipality of Cagliari and separated from the sea by the sand spit of La Playa. For centuries, these wetlands have been home to numerous bird species, both migratory and nesting. Some of the most common birds seen on Santa Gilla are sea ravens, coots, striped stilts, little sultans and plovers. But the most spectacular attraction of these places are the colonies of pink flamingos that live in Santa Gilla and on Lake Molentargius. Pink flamines can be seen even near the road - just a dozen meters from the highway!
It must be said that this lagoon-crossing road is just one example of how fragile ecosystems can be disrupted. Several chemical plants were built here in the immediate aftermath of World War II, and this industrialization and the subsequent commercial development of the area necessitated the construction of a canal and a harbor. The proposed canal and harbor project sparked a wave of public outcry among Cagliari residents worried about the fate of the wetlands. The problem was only solved in the early 1980s. Today there is a project to create a bird sanctuary on the outskirts of the harbor, which is still under construction. It is also planned to install a water purification system for the Macyareddu zone. The degradation of the ecosystems of Santa Gilla, which in the past were on the verge of extinction, has been partially stopped, and today it is possible to fish here again.
The charm of Santa Gilla lies not only in its noisy bird colonies and incredibly beautiful views at sunrise and sunset. 3 km from Cagliari, on the road to Pula, is the "sa illetta" ("little villa" in the Sardinian dialect), which was once a tiny island in the center of Lake Molentargius. Nowadays it is no longer an island - "sa illetta" is connected to the road to Pula. A local attraction is the chapel of San Simone with a Gothic portal and a fresco depicting St. Simon. Inside you can see a semicircular apse, cylindrical vaults and arches with lintels.
