sardinia alghero

Alghero is a small town belonging to the Province of Sassari. In fact, the highly sought-after tourist destination is the 10th Italian city most visited by foreign tourists.

It was officially founded in 1102 by the influential Genoese Doria family. Thus was born a fortified town with a landing of great importance in the trades that took place in the Mediterranean.

The city of Alghero is universally known as the Catalan city of Italy or, in Catalan, "Barceloneta", the little Barcelona. About 22% of the population still uses the language of Alghero, a minority variant of Catalan. From 1354 until 1720 the city was dominated by the Catalan-Aragonese who initially replaced the population with settlers from Spain.

It is the capital of the Coral Riviera; the name derives from the fact that in its waters there is the largest quantity of precious red coral and the most precious quality! The activity of fishing, processing and sale of coral has for centuries been of great economic and cultural importance.

Alghero is UNESCO city candidate for culture for 2019.

Among the countless popular festivals, the rite of the holy week, which takes place during the Easter week, stands out; Characteristic and very suggestive processions attract the curiosity and charm of tourists from all over the globe. The events of the Retrobament, the special slalom of Scala Piccada, the world stage of rallies, the WRC, the festival of the Bogamarì, the Cap d'Any, the fireworks in mid-August and a very long series of events, concerts and presentations are just some of the most important events.

But Alghero is famous above all for its white beaches, the ancient caves and the spectacular panoramic views.

The beaches are so many: small coves and large stretches of sand are interspersed for several tens of kilometers. These are certainly the beaches to visit:

• Lido San Giovanni beach, a well known beach especially because it is located in the city! Reachable easily on foot.
• Spiaggia delle Bombarde, characterized by very fine white sand (also in water) and always fresh and clear water, reachable also through a beautiful cycle path
• Lazzaretto beach, just beyond the previous one, characterized by turquoise waters and a breathtaking setting
• Mugoni beach, narrow but very long tongue of fine sand, located in the beautiful bay of Porto Conte
• Maria Pia beach, also here extremely fine white sand with very low seabed and a beautiful pine forest behind.
• Dragunara Beach, located right in Cala Dragunara in the Porto Conte Park. Small but lovely beach.
• Porto Ferro beach, about one kilometer of ferrous sand surrounded by wild and uncontaminated Mediterranean vegetation. Area frequented by surfers.

Countless are the caves, some of them already inhabited in the Neolithic, and of considerable importance as well as spectacular beauty. A few kilometers from the sea, along the road to Capo Caccia, the hypogeic necropolis of Anghelu Ruju.