Things to do in Alghero
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Osteria Taverna Paradiso
This unpretentious trattoria is presided over by Pasquale Nocella, the artistic-looking guy with the wild hair. The food here is excellent: hearty plates of grilled steak, mountains of steaming pasta, and lots and lots of cheese. The osteria has even won awards for its cheese. The pasta with aubergines and smoked ricotta packs a flavourful punch.
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Trattoria Maristella
Visitors and locals flock to this bustling little trattoria for reliable seafood and local specialities such as culurgiones (ravioli stuffed with potato, pecorino cheese and mint) and crema catalana, a delicious creamy dessert. Booking recommended.
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Marogna
Agostino Marogna has been working in the business for years and now owns the finest coral shop in Alghero, at Palazzo d'Albis.
Their signature necklaces composed of big, round coral beads often take years to create. As there is only a certain amount of coral for sale each year, they often have to put these necklaces aside until the new season, when they have to hunt for exactly the same shade and quality of coral. One such necklace with beads measuring 11mm in diameter will set you back a cool around €11,000, rising to around €30,000 for beads measuring 13mm.
Not everything in the shop is this expensive, and it's certainly worth a visit to see the sheer artistry of som…
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Grotta di Nettuno
A vertiginous 654-step staircase descends 110m of sheer cliff to the Grotta di Nettuno, an underground fairyland of stalactites and stalagmites. If you don’t fancy the staircase, there are ferries from Alghero – Traghetti Navisarda, departing hourly between 9am and 5pm from June to September, and four times daily in the rest of the year. Otherwise, there’s a daily bus from Via Catalogna (€2, 50 minutes) which departs Alghero at 9.15am and returns at midday. From June to September, there are two extra runs at 3.10pm and 5.10pm, returning at 4.05pm and 6.05pm.
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Museo Diocesano d'Arte Sacra
In the grand spaces that were once the Oratorio del Rosario is the cathedral museum. It houses a good collection of religious art including silverware, statuary, paintings and wood carving. A ghoulish touch is the reliquary of what is claimed to be one of the innocenti (newborn babies slaughtered by Herod in his search for the Christ child). The tiny skull is chilling, but apparently it appealed to Alghero artist Francesco Pinna, who received it from a Roman cardinal in the 16th century. The low, flat arch of the former chapel is clearly inspired by the Catalan Gothic style.
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Andrieni
This is Alghero's restaurant of the moment. In summer outdoor tables are set beneath the huge fig tree, where you dine on innovative dishes mixing cured meats and fruit, delicately cooked fish with seasonal vegetables and herbs, and some excellent grilled and roasted meats. The wine list is a weighty tome, and you need a menu for the cheese trolley. Unfortunately, the maître d' is a little on the haughty side.
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Piazza Civica
Piazza Civica is just inside the Port a Mare (Sea Gate) and was once the administrative heart of Alghero. This busy, uneven square is still faced by reminders of Alghero's late-medieval splendour. It was from the window of the Gothic mansion Palazzo d'Albis that Charles V leaned out during his 1541 stay to declare in generous mood, 'You are all knights.'
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Nettuno
In a great location with a 3rd-floor terrace overlooking the port, Nettuno's atmosphere is positively boisterous and the boating décor jollies the whole thing along. The pasta with clams is the thing to eat here - the delicious aroma pervades the restaurant. Follow it with a plate of barbequed king prawns.
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Osteria Macchiavello
This is a restaurant for those who want full-on meaty flavours. Grilled meats include horse, beef and (sorry about this) - donkey. Alternatively, there's a tasty wild-boar ragù and a few fishy dishes, including zuppa di polpi e patate (octopus and potato soup) as a whet-your-appetite starter.
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Posada del Mar
A formal little place, Posada del Mar has tables covered in flowery tablecloths intimately arranged beneath its big barrel vaults. In summer the French doors are opened to the piazzetta outside. The house speciality is the ricci (sea urchins), although pizza is also served in the evenings.
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La Lepanto
This has long been Alghero's top fish restaurant: check out the grand tank of fish as you enter, the packed tables and the waiters run off their feet. But it has to be said that service and food are not what they used to be - the increase in tourist trade has dulled Lepanto's innovative edge.
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Traghetti Navisarda
A tour operator that specialises in excursions to the Grotta di Nettuno, an enormous sea cave at the foot of the Capo Caccia headland. It runs several boats a day from April to October that allow you a fish-eye view of the coast from Alghero to Capo Caccia before depositing you at the grotto.
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Il Pavone
A classic of the Alghero dining scene, Il Pavone isn't as grand as other restaurants like the Andrieni or La Lepanto, but the service is a lot more palatable. Tables overlook the lively Piazza Sulis and the food is seasonal, a mixture of Mediterranean and innovative Sardinian dishes.
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Al Tuguri
This cosy Catalan house serves dishes based on the fresh fish of the day, tuna, squid, rock lobster and the very best bottarga (mullet roe). It also has a range of speciality pastas, such as the maltagliati con carciofi e fave (pasta with artichokes and fava beans).
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Cattedrale di Santa Maria
Overlooking Piazza Duomo, the oversized Cattedrale di Santa Maria is an odd mishmash of Moorish, baroque, Renaissance and other influences. Of greater interest is the campanile around the back, a fine example of Catalan-Gothic architecture.
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Chiesa di San Michele
Along Via Carlo Alberto is a church whose main feature is its majolica dome, typical of churches in Valencia, another former Catalan territory. The present tiles were laid in the 1960s, but this doesn't detract from the visual pleasure.
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Da Pietro
With its stone vaulted ceiling, intimate atmosphere and traditional menu, this is an archetypal Sardinian trattoria. If you’ve never had ricci (sea urchins), a prized local speciality, this is a good place to try them.
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Borgo Antico
A formal place that has outdoor seating on the square. The cooking is Mediterranean and the spaghetti all'aragosta (lobster spaghetti; around €26) is a price-savvy way to try some of that famous lobster.
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Il Ghiotto
Fill up for as little as €10 from the tantalising lunchtime spread of panini, pastas, salads and main courses. There’s seating in a dining area behind the main hall or outside on a busy wooden terrace.
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Poco Loco
An all-purpose venue with internet, beer on tap, pizza, live music and an upstairs bowling alley (closed Monday). The concert program covers a range of musical styles, but jazz and blues feature more than most.
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Angedras Restaurant
Dining on Alghero’s honey-coloured stone ramparts is a memorable experience. This is one of the better restaurants on the walls, serving a largely traditional menu, including traditional roast suckling pig.
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Aragon
A big bustling restaurant-cum-pizzeria just up from the seafront. It gets fairly hectic and the service isn’t exactly endearing but the wood-fired pizzas are superb and the pasta dishes are tasty and fresh.
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Caffè Costantino
The most famous cafe in town attracts a constant stream of tourists to its square-side tables. There’s a full food menu, although if you just want to eat you’ll get better value almost everywhere else.
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Buena Vista
Fabulous mojitos, fresh fruit cocktails, golden views – what more could you want of a seafront bar? Upbeat tunes and a cavernous interior add to the vibe at this popular bar on the western walls.
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Il Refettorio
A trendy wine bar crowded with a fashionable clientele, this is a great spot for a classy aperitif accompanied by plenty of gourmet nibbles. Food is served, but the main action is around the bar.
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