Begin your tour of Cagliari by climbing the marble steps of Passeggiata Coperta (or taking the free elevator) from Piazza della Costituzione to Bastione San Remy. Although this and other bastions, such as the higher Bastione Santa Caterina, were built to defend the Castello quarter, stronghold of the Pisans and Genoese and briefly home to the Savoy royal family, today they provide an ideal vantage point for tourists and locals to enjoy sweeping views.

It’s a perfect spot to get your bearings by picking out landmarks—the harbor, the Marina quarter below, the leafy Villanova neighborhood to the left, and the hilltop Basilica di Nostra Signora di Bonaria.