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Alghero


Recognized as little Barcelona, the seaside village of Alghero is the capital of the Coral Riviera. One of its characteristics is its landscape. Outside the historic center and the rest of the urban districts, the large area of the municipality boasts several beaches, bays and natural parks on the coast. The Capo Caccia promontory and its lighthouse constitute one of the icons of the city.
  • Sea village
  • Village with park
  • Village with towers
  • Suitable for disabled people
  • Camper parking area
  • City of wine
  • Oil city
The Cave of Neptune   | jasomtomo/shutterstock.com
The Cave of Neptune
jasomtomo/shutterstock.com
Alghero  | Gabriele Maltinti/shutterstock.com
Alghero
Gabriele Maltinti/shutterstock.com
Historic center   | sbellott/shutterstock.com
Historic center
sbellott/shutterstock.com
Nuraghe Palmavera  | sbellott/shutterstock.com
Nuraghe Palmavera
sbellott/shutterstock.com
Alghero in the evening  | KajzrPhotography/shutterstock.com
Alghero in the evening
KajzrPhotography/shutterstock.com
Alghero  | Francesco Maltinti/shutterstock.com
Alghero
Francesco Maltinti/shutterstock.com
Cathedral of the Immaculate Santa Maria  | Francesco Maltinti/shutterstock.com
Cathedral of the Immaculate Santa Maria
Francesco Maltinti/shutterstock.com
Capo Caccia  | KajzrPhotography/shutterstock.com
Capo Caccia
KajzrPhotography/shutterstock.com
Alghero  | Macrolife/shutterstock.com
Alghero
Macrolife/shutterstock.com
Alghero  | Jürgen Scheeff
Alghero
Jürgen Scheeff
Alghero  | Eszter Miller
Alghero
Eszter Miller
Alghero  | Danilo Carta
Alghero
Danilo Carta
A look at Alghero
A look at Alghero

About the village

Alghero is a great seafaring village in Sardinia. It is also known as the little Barcelona since it has preserved the use of the catalan, of which it is a linguistic island. It is the Chief Town of the Riviera del Corallo, name that derives from the fact that in the waters of its rada there is the largest amount of precious coral red of the most valuable quality caught by corallari divers, activities that with processing and sale, for centuries has had a great importance of both economic and cultural, so much so that a branch of coral is inserted in the coat of arms of the town. The name derives from Aleguerium (seaweed), for the considerable amount of Posidonia Oceanica which settles on its sandy coastline.

The Grotta Verde, submerged cave on the promontory of Capo Caccia, has been the subject of repeated visits from the Ancient Neolithic period (VI-V millennium B.C.). For the phase of late Neolithic Age (3500 BC-2700 BC) there are underground tombs, such as the domus de janas in groups or in necropolis, including the necropolis of Anghelu Ruju, belonging to the culture of Ozieri.

In the nuragic age the territory of Alghero is intensely populated with 90 nuraghi identified (density 0.40 per km²), about a third of which have disappeared. Most are single-tower and all are constructed in local stone, such as limestone, sandstone and trachyte. There are also several villages, for the most part connected to the nuraghi, where they were found protocorinzie ceramics and Phoenician, a testimony of the commercial relations entertained with the other Mediterranean regions.

The birth of Today Alghero is traced back to the XII century, when the noble Genovese family of the Doria was granted to fondarne the first historical nucleus. The strategic position and the presence of a rich aquifer, witnessed by the pits still present in some houses, allowed the growth of the city and ne ratcheted the strategic importance. For about a century it remained in the orbit of the Maritime Republic; in 1283 the Pisans managed to conquer it and kept it until 1284, when in the aftermath of the pisan defeat of the Meloria, the Doria fell in Alghero.

Ceased the terrible epidemic of black plague that struck also Sardinia in 1347, in 1350 some descendants of Doria sold its rights to Peter IV of Aragon, that he was making geographically the newborn Kingdom of Sardinia, while the remaining descendants ceded its rights to the Republic of Genoa in 1353: this inevitably led to a clash between the two factions, Catalan-aragonese from one side, Genoese, following allied with the from Arborea, on the other hand. In 1355 the village gained the municipal coat of arms.

On 28 August 1501 she was conferred the title of royal city. In 1541, the Emperor Charles V came to visit accompanied by admiral Andrea Doria, noting the qualities that made it so attractive in the past, and coining perhaps the famous expression Sed todos caballeros. In 1652 Alghero was struck again by the plague, brought into the city from a ship Catalan. Some of Alghero emigrated toward other areas of the island hoping for salvation, but obtained the effect of spreading throughout the plague, which hit the Sardinia for four years. In 1720 the Kingdom of Sardinia passed to the House of Savoy, without that this had made changes to the tradition of cultural and linguistic diversity of Alghero.

Alghero counts a natural landscape very diverse, from beaches with fine sand to the cliffs with flat stones or very jagged: is appreciable especially the view from the sea, in so far as it is possible to grasp the variety of its coast mixed with vegetation, the typical Mediterranean maquis and the pinewood that often surround ago; very appreciated for its panorama is the promontory of Capo Caccia with its well known cliff in the shape of a sleeping giant that has become one of the symbols of Alghero, together with the precious red coral.

The area of Capo Caccia with the facing flat island and the gulf of Porto Conte is the site of primary naturalistic interest, in which was formed the natural Area Marina Protetta Capo Caccia - Isola Piana. The particular geological conformation (karstic origin) makes the area rich in caves and ravines, still largely unexplored. Insist here the famous caves of Neptune, accessible from the sea and from the ground (through the famous Escala Cabirol of, 656 steps), and who offers to its inside a panorama of salt and swimming pools, such as the swimming pool of the giant, and stalactites and stalagmites of particular shapes, as component. On the eastern side of Capo Caccia opens overhanging the sea the Cave of the embroideries and the Grotta Verde, reachable only by sea.

In the streets of the village, next to the words in Italian of the toponyms joins often the Catalan words. If in the "new" of the city the toponyms are simply translated into Catalan, the same thing cannot be said of the historical center, in which the terms refer to the cultural tradition of Alghero.

The very central Via Carlo Alberto, for example, in a section thereof takes its name Catalan Carrer de Sant Francesc (road/via di San Francesco), just in correspondence of the homonymous church. The inhabited center of Alghero has a development of coastal type; it is possible to identify two parts. The first occupies the south-central region of the city and constitutes the main core. If observed from the satellite can be noted the strong difference between the fabric of the historic center (located in a pseudo-natural peninsula) and surrounding area, next embodiment and in further development on the guidelines south (road to Villanova) and East (road to Ittiri/Olmedo). The second, instead, is situated to the north and is the hub of tourist residences.

Village of Alghero
Municipality of Alghero
Province of Sassari
Sardinia Region

Population: 44.019 (42.419 in the village)
Altitude center: 7 m a.s.l.

the Municipality is part of:
Città del vino
Città dell'olio

Protected Natural Areas:
Cape Caccia and Piana Island Natural Regional Park
Conte Harbour Natural Regional Park

Municipality
Via S. Anna 38 - Tel. 079-997800

= distances as the crow flies

BY PLANE

  • "Riviera del Corallo" Fertilia Airport

The cuisine of Alghero is based mainly on fish and crustaceans, in particular on the famous algherese lobster, known and appreciated throughout the world.

some typical dishes are the lobster à l'Alghero, the coppazza and spaghetti with sea-urchins and spaghetti alla bottarga, monzette under salt cooked in the oven and the algherese paella, you accompany then to dishes and typical products of the Sardinian cuisine in the north.

Among sweets some of the mostù typical are the burned cream and the milk pudding, better known under the name catalan, menjar blanc.

between the vegetables we remember the coral tomato, Camona tomato and cardi.

between wines in this area, the Alghero DOC e L'Anghelu Ruju, as the vines are around the site Archaeological.

Important also the production of olive oil, which comes from the olive groves of the territory of Alghero.

 

  • January-February - Sagra del Bogamarì (Riccio di mare).

  • Carnival - parade of floats in papier mache from Barcelona.

  • May - Gold of Alghero. National Prize The degustatrice of olive oil. Competition in which may participate not only professionals but also simple amateurs. Alghero is in fact renowned for the cultivation of Bosana quality and the production of an excellent extra virgin olive oil.

  • July - Grand Prix Coral City of Alghero. Evening entertainment with the awarding of sports journalists, fiction with sporting theme and film.

Sleep, eat, buy...

= distances as the crow flies
= distances as the crow flies

Alghero is present in issue 4 of our digital magazine e-borghi travel.
Read it now!

Events

from
tuesday
15
april, 2025
to monday 21 april 2025

Setmana Santa

from
friday
1
august, 2025
to thursday 7 august 2025

Our Lady of Merced

friday
15
august, 2025

Ferragosto in Alghero

monday
29
september, 2025

San Michele

Our news about Alghero

In beautiful Gallura, at the foot of Mount Limbara and Lake Coghinas, the new edition of Oschiri Wine Experience 2022 was held, now in its fourth year. Industry experts, wine producers and simple wine lovers gathered to tell the world of wine in the round, enhancing the excellence of the various Sardinian territories and analyzing the current climate changes and new market trends. A two-day event of oenological techniques, art and culture hosted in the charming village of Oschiri, famous both for its renowned "panadas," sm...
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