Poetto Beach, the so-called “spiaggia dei Centomila”
Poetto Beach well known with “spiaggia dei Centomila” (lit. beach of hundred thousand - from the approximate number of people that go there in the summery peak days, but they double their size on occasion of special event like the exhibition of the National Acrobatic Patrol of the Frecce Tricolori), name is under the administrative jurisdiction of the Council of Cagliari and Quartu Sant’Elena. It stretches for six kilometers long and during last century it has been changed several times. Until to the end the XIX century, Cagliari inhabitants still preferred Giorgino Beach (located at the beginning of the old road that connected Cagliari to Pula) which is today partially abandoned.
When Poetto closer Beach was discovered, people started to prefer it to Giorgino. A city tram service was created to connect the city centre to Poetto Beach and shortly after the first “casotti” (bathing huts) started to appear, multicolored wood construction similar to stilt houses: their pastel color were perfectly integrated with the dunes of white and extra fine sand. These bathing hut, originally simply dressing rooms, within the years were transformed into accommodation rooms: during the long and worm summers, many families from Cagliari and hinterland, moved into the “casotti” for a couple of months, just as “casotti” were was their seaside summer house: they eat and sleep there, organizing parties and banquets from dusk until dawn .
In 1986, with the expiring of 99 years' concession of the marine State property to the Council of Cagliari, the Harbour-office ordered – on behalf of the mercantile Marine Ministry – the destruction of some of the existing structures in the shoreline, including the characteristic casotti of Poetto. The population protested in vain: that piece of memory disappeared for ever, setting the dunes free. But, very soon the sand disappeared too. Little by little, the wind blew it away.
Certainly, under the safety and hygiene profile, the bathing huts would have need major and stricter controls. However, their indiscriminate removal has deprived the beach of its peculiar aspect. Nowadays, the only wooden structures existing on the beach road side are the kiosks and the bathing establishments with disabled access. In order to revitalize the beach, a few years ago, the Province of Cagliari ordered a large-scale work of reclaiming the beach by pumping sand from the sea bottom. The poor results of this works have caused strong reactions and even a judicial investigation has been started since the sand brought in is far different than the original one, being darker and thicker. What is sure is that the renowned Poetto Beach (quite has been envied in the by million tourists) is not longer the same. Anyway, early morning walks along the desert beach at that time of the day, are certainly part of Cagliari’s high quality life opportunities.
