Alghero, a corner of Catalogna in the north-west of Sardinia

At first glimpse, Alghero is shaped by the sea and shacked by the breeze beating the north-western coast of Sardinia. Foreign dialects and voices welcome the visitors, that soon get introduced to a cultural heritage of deep roots and exceptional melting pot. Who gets to Alguer, as the ancient name of this city, discovers the beauty of its old town overlooking the sea, its narrow streets, and the tracks of long-lasting traditions such as the one of weaving the fishing nets. This is still amazingly pursued by fishermen sitting on the beach at the end of the day.

Alghero is pretty close to the Fertilia Airport, which is well connected internationally by the low-cost airways companies such as Ryanair. This makes possible for thousands of visitors to chose Alghero as an ideal destination, where to find suggestive architectural profiles, the beauty of the coastline and its surrounding nature, as well as warm temperatures throughout the year. The best way to explore Alghero is on foot, by getting lost around its narrow streets in order to become immediately familiar with the place. There are three main directions to follow in order to discover the centre of the town: the oldest patway to get through is between Via Gilbert Ferret and Via Roma; to continue with the area around the Cathedral of Santa Maria, and finally the district surrounding Piazza Civica (Civic Square). Across the seaside, visitors can see the ancient bastions and towers built to protect the city from foreign invasions.

Countless elements, in Alghero, bring back to its history, which was significantly marked by the Catalan presence from the second half of fourteenth century onwards. This would have led Alghero to turn into an unique Catalan enclave, leaving deep evidences of their presence in the language, both spoken and written, in the architecture, as well as in music and flavours. This is why walking through Alghero you listen to people speaking in Catalan, and testing traditional recipes such as the renown “aragosta alla Catalana” (Catalan lobster), and reading Catalan names on streets and squares.

Again, originally from Catalogna is also the most popular religious celebration, the so called Semana Santa (Holy Week), scheduled within an agenda packed of events and entertainments linked with the local productions and their flavours, such as the Sea Urchin Festival (taking place between January and February) and the S.Giovanni Festival, celebrating the beginning of the summer. Another appointment that has made Alghero one of the most popular destinations is the New Year Eve, which brings in town artists of international profile, concerts and live performances all over the place. Romantic, lively and colourful throughout the year. 
 

If you looking for hotels and special offers around this area, get the best: Hotel El Faro!

[Photocredit: Dario Sequi]