Alghero

Population: approx. 42,000
Altitude: 7 m. above sea level

The town of Alghero enjoys a favourable geographic position, situated about 300 miles from Spain, in line with Barcellona, in the direction of the dominant west and Mistral winds. At the same time it is protected from the north winds by the two promontories of Capo Caccia and Punta Giglio. Behind the sandy beaches of the gulf there is an expanse of flat, fertile land with lagoons and small tributaries, which opens up further north into the vast Nurra Plain.

The town of Alghero gets its name from the seaweed which the currents of the sea wash up and deposit on the beaches in large mounds. The town was founded in 1102 by the powerful Doria family from Genoa to encourage trading and the exchange of goods between Genoa and the northern coasts of Sardinia.

The region of Alghero has ancient roots and was inhabited by man as early as the Neolithic age. Testimony to this ancient history can be seen in the Necropolis of Anghelu Ruju and the Nuraghe of Palmavera. During the Phoenician and Carthaginian invasions the area suffered a period of decline, however, later, with the arrival of the Romans
(238 A.C.), the whole territory experienced a certain amount of growth and new settlements were established. In the nearby bay of Porto Conte visitors can still admire the remains of impressive villas from the Roman Period.

During Medieval times Alghero attracted the attention of the Pisans and the "Giudici", or Judges, of Arborea. In about 1283 the Pisans, with the help of Giudice Mariano IV, lay siege to Alghero for almost a month without, however, succeeding in taking the town.

Alghero was, in fact, the last of the large towns on the island to fall under Aragonese dominion in 1353. The following year, after a bloody rebellion, King Pietro IV of Aragon drove out all the inhabitants of Alghero and he replaced them with Catalan colonies.
The most obvious testimony to this historic event is that today the people still speak a local dialect which has distinct Catalan roots. However, besides this linguistic influence, visitors to the town will notice evident traces of this ancient dominion by the Kingdom of Aragon, and then later of Spain, in the town's rich architecture.

Alghero is particularly fascinating because it has two distinct faces. Its historical centre is surrounded by the impressive city defence walls, still largely intact today, and gives visitors the unique chance of stepping back in time as they wander through the narrow cobbled streets, lined with the original sandstone buildings.

However, outside the old city walls Alghero is an animated modern town, offering all the necessary facilities and services of a first-class tourist resort, with an exceptional coastline and sea, nestling in fertile countryside.
In the town centre visitors can admire the towers, the ancient ramparts, the picturesque promenade and the harbour.

Things to see:

• The Cathedral of S. Maria (1562 -1579). Inside the church there is a beautiful, wooden crucifix form the XVI century and the mausoleum of Maurizio Giuseppe of Savoy, who died in Alghero in 1799.
  
  
• The 'Misericordia' Church. Founded by Franciscan Monks in 1508, this church boasts a magnificent crucifix from 1600, which is a beautiful example of Spanish art.
  
  
• The Church of S. Francesco. The church was built in the second half of the fourteenth century and almost completely rebuilt between the XVI and XVII centuries.
  
  
• The Madonna of Val Verde. This country shrine of the Virgin Mary lies about 7 km from the town.
  
  
• The Necropolis of Santu Pedru. The Necropolis, one of the most interesting on the island, has a 15 metre long corridor with a large quadrangular chamber from where there is access to the other cells.
  
  
• The Anghelu Ruju Necropolis
  
  
• The Palmavera Nuraghe. The Nuragic complex was built in various stages ranging from before 1000 A.C. to the VIII century A.C. The layout of the Nuraghe is particularly interesting because of the structural addition to the central tower of an elliptical bastion and another tower which animates the inner courtyard.
  
  
• Capo Caccia
  
  
• Grotte di Nettuno
  
  
• Porto Conte. Further west visitors come to Porto Conte, the portus nimpharum of Tolomeo, surrounded by a coastline and landscape of exceptional beauty.
  
  
• Fertilia. The town of Fertilia was founded in the 1930s during the process of land reclamation, which transformed the Nurra plain into a fertile agricultural area. The first people to settle there were from Ferrara and they were later joined by groups of families from Venezia Giulia in the 1950s. The layout of the town was designed according to a very regular plan, with the nucleus around a main square, where the parish church of S. Marco stands, and the tower, built during the Fascist period. The international airport of Alghero is situated just outside Fertilia.