{"id":6115,"date":"2020-03-11T23:37:41","date_gmt":"2020-03-12T06:37:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.roamintheempire.com\/?p=6115"},"modified":"2022-08-06T17:16:26","modified_gmt":"2022-08-07T00:16:26","slug":"caralis-part-ii","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.roamintheempire.com\/index.php\/2020\/03\/11\/caralis-part-ii\/","title":{"rendered":"Caralis, Sardinia – Part II"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Grotta<\/a>
Grotta Gennari cistern.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Continued from Caralis Part I<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Orto Botanico di Cagliari<\/strong><\/h5>\n

Just down the street from the amphitheater is the Orto Botanico di Cagliari, the botanical gardens. The Orto Botanico, located at Via Sant’Ignazio da Laconi 11, are open every day except Monday from 9:00 to 18:00 in the summer (April through October) and 9:00 to 14:00 the rest of the year. Admission to the gardens is 4 Euros.<\/p>\n

Within the botanical gardens, there are several structures associated with the Roman city. The first of these features is the so-called Vasca a Trifoglio in the western part of the park. Currently used as fountain and basin, it was originally constructed during the Punic era of the city, in the 4th<\/sup> century BCE, as a cistern. It continued to be used under the Romans through the 2nd<\/sup> century CE. A short walk to the east is another cistern. Referred to alternatively as the Grotta Gennari, a caldarium<\/em>, and a tepidarium<\/em>, it is in actuality another cistern dating to the Roman period of Caralis. This cistern can be entered as it is currently used to house some of the plants in the botanical garden\u2019s collection. A few meters on along the path to the northeast is another cistern, currently used as a water feature, dating to the Roman period.<\/p>\n

\"Water<\/a>
Water channels in the Orto Botanico.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A bit further on to the northeast, in the shadow of a few huge ficus trees, are the remains of a Punic-Roman quarry. Like the first cistern, the period of use seems to be between the 4th<\/sup> century BCE and 2nd<\/sup> century CE, spanning both Punic and Roman periods of use. The tool marks are not obvious, making it look much like a natural cave at first glance, but there is visible evidence of quarrying at the location upon further inspection.  A few more meters to the northeast is the entrance to some water channels and an underground cistern. From the entrance, the main channel can be walked for about 50 meters to the large cistern. The water system that these several cisterns are part of, seems to be connected to the amphitheater, which is just a few hundred meters to the northeast of this channel entrance.<\/p>\n