The name of the city, Nora, comes from the ancient Greek Νῶρα (Nuras in the mediaeval Sardinian language) [1]. The city was build on a peninsula and today this still is a romantic place to go. The beach at Nora is enclosed by cliffs and the promontory and is sheltered from the wind. The church of Sant'Efisio can be seen there, but it had been closed [2].
The first settlement … it's hard to say, who had been there first as newer findings indicate settlements on Sardinia already during the old stone age (paleolithicum), in Sardinia case abour 120-140,000 years ago. There have been Nuragic settlements and then about 1000-800 BC the phoenician had built a trading outpost, then a settlement and town, which fell to the Romans after victory in the First Punic War (264-241 BC), making it shortly after the war in 238 BC. The Romans obliterated most of what had been built by Carthage. Nora declined after the Vandal conquest of Sardinia in 456 AD. The city, later only a simple fort had been abandoned in the 8th century.
As the south of Sardinia is sinking into the sea, some part of the old town are already under water, but most remains are still to be seen. Interestingly part of the Temple of Tanit, a Carthaginian goddess, survived. One can walk on old stones look at mosaic, columns, the amphitheatre and more. I was fascinated by amphorae, which served as resonance bodies in the theatre.
There still is much work for archeologists, which could be seen at work.
Links and Annotations:
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nora,_Italy
[2] You might say: a distraction less from the main topic. There is a procession for the saint during the Festa di Sant'Efisio in May each year. https://www.sardegnaturismo.it/en/explore/nora
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