In Uta, a farm village 20km northwest of Cagliari, this beautifully proportioned church is a wonderful example of Sardinian Romanesque architecture. It was built around 1140 by Vittorini monks from Marseille and features an elegant, sober facade, an open campanile (bell tower) and intricate statuary. It's generally locked, but from outside you can make out busts of people and animals (real and imaginary) on the band that runs around the exterior.
Regular buses run to Uta from Cagliari (€2.50, 45 minutes), though the church lies about 1.5km east of the main village – follow the brown signs for the Santuario di Santa Maria.