Italy
Alghero
Catalan spoken in Sardinian streets, coral divers returning to Gothic-arched harbour walls at dusk.
The street signs are bilingual and the accent lifts in ways that do not sound Italian at all. Alghero's old town rides a promontory above Sardinia's north-west coast, honey-coloured ramparts catching the last light as the coral boats motor home. From the bastions, the sea turns turquoise to copper in minutes.
Alghero is the legacy of fourteenth-century Catalan-Aragonese colonisation, when settlers from across the sea replaced the earlier population; a strain of Catalan called Algherese survives in its streets to this day. The historic centre keeps its Aragonese plan inside the sea walls, pointed arches and rose windows announcing the Crown of Aragon on a Sardinian shore. Alghero reigns as capital of the Coral Riviera: red coral has been worked here since the Middle Ages and still fills the old town's workshops. At Capo Caccia nearby, the Grotta di Nettuno opens its stalactite chambers to those who arrive by boat or brave the 654 steps of the cliff staircase.
Couple
Dinner on the bastions with the sea below and coral workshops to browse; romance with a Catalan accent.
Family
Sandy beaches sit within walking distance, the grotto boat trip thrills every age, and the harbour walk ends in gelato.
Friends
Dive the coral coast, kayak Capo Caccia, then take the old town's wine bars; adventure and culture in one walkable footprint.
- Algherese, a living strain of Catalan, has been spoken here since the fourteenth century.
- The bastioni sea walls serve as the town's evening promenade, aperitivo tables against the sunset.
- The Grotta di Nettuno opens by boat or down the 654-step Escala del Cabirol cliff staircase.
- Alghero is the capital of the Coral Riviera, its red coral worked since the Middle Ages.
Aragosta alla catalana dresses local lobster with tomato and onion, Alghero's Iberian signature.
Seadas close the meal: fried cheese pastry under a pour of warm, bitter Sardinian honey.
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