Few travellers can place Oristano on a map, and that may be its strength. On the west coast of Sardinia, away from the beaten track, this former royal capital keeps the memory of Eleanor of Arborea, a 14th-century ruler whose code of laws was a landmark in European history. Ships dock at the industrial port of Santa Giusta, separated from the town by a lagoon full of birds; it then takes a few kilometres by road to reach the centre, and a little more to reach the ancient ruins of Tharros, facing the sea.

Arriving by the lagoons

The quay is in the municipality of Santa Giusta, about 3 km southeast of Oristano. The route runs along a vast lagoon where fishermen and pink flamingos share the shallow waters. This Sardinia of wetlands, less known than its beaches, gives the region its character: here, people fish for muggine (grey mullet), from which they make bottarga, the dried roe that flavours local pasta.

Santa Giusta and its Romanesque basilica

Before heading into town, the Basilica of Santa Giusta deserves a stop. Set on a mound above the village, this 12th-century church ranks among the finest examples of Sardinian Romanesque: a golden sandstone façade, a nave with reused ancient columns and a cool half-light that smells of wax. From the forecourt, the view sweeps across the lagoon and its traditional fishing boats.

Oristano, Eleanor's town

The centre of Oristano is easily explored on foot. Piazza Eleonora, framed by pastel-toned palazzi, holds the statue of the ruler who promulgated the Carta de Logu around 1392, a legal code that remained in force for nearly four centuries. A little farther on, the Torre di Mariano, a gate tower built in 1290, marks the entrance to the old fortified town; below stretches the pedestrian corso, with its cafés and pastry shops where you can taste mustazzolus, biscuits made with grape must. The cathedral, remodelled in the 18th century, raises its bell tower with a colourful onion dome above the rooftops. To grasp the soul of the place, the Antiquarium Arborense displays Punic and Roman finds from Tharros, as well as medieval altarpieces. At aperitif time, a glass of vernaccia, the amber wine aged under a veil of yeast in the cellars of the Tirso valley, is enjoyed with roasted almonds — you will hardly find it anywhere else.

Tharros, the city facing the open sea

About twenty kilometres to the west, on the Sinis peninsula, Tharros remains the great memory of the port call. Founded by the Phoenicians in the 8th century BCE, taken over by Carthage and then by Rome, the city tiers across a wind-swept promontory between two bays. You wander among the paved streets, the baths, the tophet and the two white columns that have become the site's emblem, with the sea as the backdrop of every photo. Nearby, the village of San Giovanni di Sinis is home to one of the oldest churches in Sardinia, partly Early Christian.

The Sartiglia, if the calendar allows

Oristano lives its carnival intensely: the Sartiglia, an equestrian joust codified for centuries, sees masked riders at full gallop trying to spear a suspended star. The event takes place only in February–March, but shops and museums keep its white masks and costumes on display all year — a glimpse of the local fervour.

The return to the ship crosses the lagoons again, often in the low light that tints the lagoon copper. Oristano does not impose itself; it must be earned and savoured, between a lawmaking queen, a Phoenician city and flamingos taking off just above the water. Discreet ports of call sometimes make the most lasting memories.