Alghero

Alghero, Italy

The narrow, cobbled streets of Alghero’s medieval citadel, packed with boutiques, bars and restaurants, slope towards the harbour and sweeping bay. Built in a buttery sandstone that glows a soft apricot shade in the setting sun, it’s Sardinia’s most picturesque Old Town. Spanish-style palazzos and street signs in Italian and Catalan reflect its proud heritage: 300 years of Aragon rule. Fringed by pine forests, long sandy beaches, hotels and bars curve away towards green headlands. It’s an idyllic setting.

Population:

43,000

Currency:

1 Euro = 100 cents

Emergency Numbers:

General: 112
Police: 113
Fire: 115
Ambulance: 118

Opening Hours:

Most shops open from 09.00-13.00 and 16.00/17.00-20.00, Monday to Saturday. In the peak summer months they can stay open until 23.00 or later. There’s also a siesta, typically from 13.00 to 17.00. Many restaurants and bars are closed one day a week, usually mid-week.

Newspapers:

L’Unione Sarda
La Nuova Sardegna
Corriere della Sera, Italy’s main daily

The City

Protected by ancient walls with seven fortifying towers, Alghero lies between the sea and a green hinterland of olive trees and vines. Although well geared for tourism with its excellent fish restaurants and countless little shops in the Centro Storico (Old Town), it retains an unhurried charm. With long beaches of soft sand stretching along its winding coastline, sheltered by quiet pine forests and dotted with bars and hotels, it offers a relaxing holiday mix of sun, sea, sand and small city charm.

In the citadel’s web of narrow streets, washing hangs beneath the shuttered windows of tall, tightly packed houses and peeling stucco reveal the ancient stone of buildings inhabited for 800 years. Street names are in Italian and Catalan, a dialect that has been spoken here since the 13th century.

Bars and restaurants spill out onto cobbled streets and little piazzas, their tables shaded by stylish cream umbrellas. They line the great ramparts, too, affording grand views and cooling sea breezes.

The real magic of Alghero comes with the sunset. To stroll along the walls, or sit at a bar and watch the old city’s buildings glow a peachy-apricot colour as the sun sets in a ball of orange fire behind the headland across the bay is one of life’s special pleasures. Get an outdoor table at one of the rampart restaurants, to dine by flickering candlelight, and the romance is complete.

Do & See

With a medieval city centre, a beautiful marina, lovely sandy beaches with activities such as kitesurfing and plenty of historical sights to visit, a trip to Alghero will never be boring. Within just a few hours from Alghero are also a number of picturesque towns, stunning beaches and breathtaking natural wonders, all making for delightful day-trips.

Dining

Famed for its rock lobsters, Alghero is a treat for lovers of fresh fish and seafood, and its Catalan-Italian mix makes for some excellent and unusual dishes. Salami and pecorino (sheep milk cheese) are produced locally. Malloreddus, with sausage and tomato sauce, is the standard Sardinian pasta dish. Local honey appears on most desserts - try gattò, made from almonds, honey and orange peel - and the local red and white wines are excellent, too.

Cafes

In Alghero there are many cosy places where you can enjoy a delicious Italian ice cream or a perfect Italian espresso. Sardinian ice cream is famed as the best in the world, and not without good reason. Be sure to enjoy come on a blazing hot summer day, followed by coffee the way only Italians know how to make it.