Torre dell'Elefante

The Torre dell'Elefante is one of the two great Pisan towers that guard the old citadel of Castello, built in 1307 by the master builder Giovanni Capula. Standing about 32 metres high in golden limestone, it served as one of the main gateways into the fortified city and later as a prison — heads of executed criminals were displayed on the outer walls, a practice that continued until 1833.

The tower can be climbed via internal stairways, and the views from the top over the surrounding city and bay are among the best in Cagliari. The open north face reveals the interior structure: timber floor beams, stone stairways, and the gatehouse mechanism at the base. It's one of the best-preserved examples of Pisan military architecture outside Tuscany.

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A story
The tower was built by Giovanni Capula for the Pisans in 1307, and its name comes from a small elephant carved in relief on the eastern face — a symbol that appears throughout Cagliari and on the city's coat of arms, whose origin has been debated by historians for centuries. One theory links it to Carthaginian war elephants; another to a medieval legend of an elephant skeleton found in the area. The tower's distinctive feature is that its north face is completely open, revealing the internal structure from the outside — an unusual design whose purpose is not entirely clear.