Alghero

Introducing Alghero

Alghero’s medieval centre with its cobbled lanes, bustling squares and honey-coloured walls preserves more than a whiff of the centuries of Catalan presence here. This legacy dates back to 1323 when the conquerors of the Crown of Aragón tried to ‘ethnically cleanse’ several Sardinian cities by replacing the local populace with Catalan colonists. These attempts largely failed except here, where Catalan is still spoken and street signs and menus are often in both languages. Alghero makes an agreeable base for exploring the northwest but can get crowded in summer and at weekends with a steady stream of tourists arriving on cut-price flights from the UK and Germany.

Last updated: Feb 17, 2009