The district, since its founding the official seat of the main authorities of the place, as well as the residence of the Sardinian noble families, still offers the opportunity to admire the ancient palaces in which large chapters of Sardinia’s history were written.
The Royal Palace (or Palazzo Viceregio), now the seat of the Prefecture and the meeting hall of the Provincial Council, was the home of the viceroy of the Kingdom of Sardinia and later housed the Savoy family in exile from Piedmont. The facade is decorated with a long succession of pilasters; inside, the most significant elements are the atrium vault, the grand staircase, and the reception hall. Then the Former City Palace, Cagliari’s former municipal seat until the end of the 19th century, the Archbishop’s Palace, the Palace of the Seziate, adjacent to the tower of San Pancrazio, in which sessions (seziate) were held during which the viceroy listened to the requests of the prisoners in the nearby tower; the Palace of the University, a vast 18th-century complex in Piedmontese Baroque style, the main headquarters of the University of Cagliari, which includes the rectorate’s offices, the main hall, the university library and the "Luigi Piloni" art collection.
Then the Boyl Palace, in neoclassical style, which incorporates in its structure the Portico delle Grazie and the remains of the 14th-century Eagle Tower, and finally The Town Hall, built in the early 20th century in neo-Gothic style with mullioned windows and turrets. It can be visited by appointment to admire the paintings by Giovanni Marghinotti and Filippo Figari and the Triptych of Councilors, in the council chamber.
