Cagliari: Walking Food Tour with Wine & Raw Cheese Tasting

Summary

Local flavors and city stories on foot through Cagliari’s heart

You’ll wander Cagliari’s old districts with a local guide, tasting raw milk cheese, cured meats, natural wine, and homemade sweets along the way. Hear stories behind ancient parks and limestone streets as you sample flavors unique to Sardinia. Expect laughter, unexpected art moments, and a sense of everyday life in this seaside city.

What’s the experience like?

I didn’t expect the first thing I’d notice in Cagliari to be the smell — a mix of sea salt, baking bread, and something green from the little gardens tucked between stone walls. Our guide (her name was Giulia, she waved at every old man who passed) led us straight into the narrow streets of what used to be the fishermen’s district. The stones felt warm under my shoes even though it was late afternoon. We stopped outside a shop that looked like someone’s living room. Inside, there was raw milk cheese cut thick on rough paper. It tasted grassy — almost wild — and I think I made a face because Giulia laughed and handed me a glass of natural wine. “It helps,” she said. She wasn’t wrong.

We wandered past flower boxes spilling over balconies and kids playing soccer against faded doors. There were caper bushes growing out of cracks in the limestone walls; apparently they’ve been there forever, just doing their thing. At one point we ducked into a tiny park between Castello and Villanova — more like a secret than a park — where Giulia pointed out this ancient olive tree that looked like it had seen everything already. There were these sculptures by Pinuccio Sciola too, stones you could tap with your fingers and they’d sing back at you in soft notes. I didn’t expect art to feel so much like part of the ground here.

The food kept coming: slices of cured pork that tasted smoky and sweet at once, chewy bread with big air holes (I never caught the name), then finally ice cream made from fruit I couldn’t pronounce. Some things you just eat without asking too many questions. The whole time Giulia told stories about how people here still argue about whose cheese is best or which bakery has the real recipe for sweets — it made everything feel more alive somehow.

I left feeling like I’d been let in on something small but important about Cagliari — not just what people eat or where they walk, but how they talk to each other and laugh when you try to say “mirto” with an accent. I still think about that olive tree sometimes, standing quiet while everything else moves around it.

Step-by-step itinerary

Day 1 — Walking tour and food tasting in Cagliari

• Walk through Gardens under the Walls
• Admire centuries-old olive and carob trees
• Observe caper bushes along limestone ridge
• See Pinuccio Sciola's sound stone sculptures
• Taste Sardinia’s raw milk cheese
• Sample natural wine and cured meat
• Enjoy traditional bread and fruit ice cream

Top questions

Is this Cagliari food tour suitable for vegetarians?

No, vegetarian or seafood alternatives are not provided on this tour.

What foods are included in the tasting experience?

The tasting includes local raw milk cheese, cured pork meats (including black pork), two glasses of natural wine per person, plus sweets and fruit ice cream.

Does the tour include stops in historic districts?

Yes, you’ll walk through former fishermen’s areas as well as parks between Castello and Villanova districts.

How long is the walking part of this tour?

The exact duration isn’t specified but you’ll explore several neighborhoods on foot at an easy pace.

Are drinks included during the food tour?

Yes, two glasses of natural wine are included per person along with tastings.

Is public transportation nearby after the tour?

Yes, public transportation options are available near the meeting point or end location.

Are there any art or cultural highlights during this walk?

You’ll see Pinuccio Sciola’s sound stone sculptures in one of the parks visited on this route.

What’s included

Your day includes guided walking through Cagliari’s historic neighborhoods with stops for tastings of Sardinian raw milk cheese and traditional cured meats (including black pork), two glasses of natural wine per person, plus local sweets and fruit ice cream along the way—no vegetarian or seafood alternatives are available on this route.