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Discovering
the Island
Main Attractions Edition
The first scratch map of Sardinia, you will discover 40 attractions of the Island. Each of them will make you know more local elements.
7 - ALGHERO
After Sassari and Olbia, Alghero is the third largest city in the Province of Sassari, with about 40,000 residents.
The town has retained its historical/linguistic connotations for several centuries, maintaining its own language, customs, popular traditions and religious rites. In fact, Alghero boasts a considerable population that almost 50% of the population uses the local variant of Catalan.
The city dates back to the twelfth century thanks to the Doria family, who recognised its military and commercial potential in its strategic position.
Alghero is one of the rare cases where more than 65% of its walls and towers remain intact, placing it among the fortified cities par excellence. The old defence structure today characterises the long promenade delimiting the old town and overlooking the sea on the opposite side.
The identity icon of the city is represented by the "Torre dello Sperone", an early sixteenth century artefact which, of its period and typology, is among the best preserved in Sardinia. As a demonstration of its majesty, it consists of three floors (all connected to each other) and walls over 5-6 metres thick. "Torri di Sulis" is the name by which the tower itself is known. This name was given to it in memory of the revolutionary prisoner of Cagliari Vincenzo Sulis who was imprisoned there in isolation at the beginning of the 19th century for over 22 years, accused of treason and conspiracy.
The tower, whose function was the obvious defence of the city of Alghero, was in constant connection with other towers such as the "Torre del Portal" and the "Torre di Mezzo". The tower is surrounded by a series of cannons, arranged in the 70s, and coming from the shipwreck of a Spanish galleon in the 15th century.
Alghero boasts a whole series of attractions including:
- The natural park of Porto Conte;
- The marine reserve of Capo Caccia-Isola Piana;
- The necropolis of Anghelu Ruju;
- The nuragic site of Sant'Imbenia;
- The nuragic village of Palmavera;
- The coral museum;
- The military airport;
- The Sella&Mosca estates.
