Alghero overview

Alghero fairly wreaks of Spanish Catalonia, with the medieval village’s golden walls and cobblestone lanes a testament to the 13th century invasion by Spanish noblemen who attempted early ethnic cleansing of the indigenous Sardinians. While this generally failed abysmally across the island, the legacy survives in Alghero, where menus, street signs and locals all still converse in Catalan. Summer can be horribly over-crowded, with Germans and British holidaymakers taking advantage of cheap flights to argue over deckchairs, while most weekends see a steady influx of domestic tourists. However, the north-western fishing port remains one of the most beautiful Sardinian towns, overhanging the Mediterranean from its rocky perch amongst palm trees and summer flowers. The former occupiers built the gorgeous Citta Vecchia or old town, where wandering the ancient ramparts rewards you with crumbling churches and mystic palaces. Despite the “Little Barcelona” moniker, the comparison is stretching the analogy.