The Santa Gilla Lagoon is to the west of Cagliari and stretches for about 10 km to the mouths of the rivers it takes the water from, Rio Cixerri and Rio Fluminimannu. The sandy stretch of land called La Plaia separates it from the sea and together with the Macchiareddu Salinas and the Capoterra pond it forms one of the most important humid areas in Europe. It was here that the Phoenicians landed in the 8th Century BC and founded the first urban settlement of Cagliari, the ancient Carales.
