Campanile

Growing over the historical center, the Cattedrale di Santa Maria’s 16th-century campanile is among Alghero’s signature milestones. The tower, available via a Gothic doorway on Via Principe Umberto, is a nice example of Catalan Gothic structure with its elegant octagonal architecture and brief pyramid-shaped spire. Climb to the top for excellent views.

Sea Walls

Alghero’s gold sea walls, constructed around the centro storico from the Aragonese in the 16th century, are a highlight of this city’s historic cityscape. Running from Piazza Sulis from the south to Porta a Mare and the marina from the north, they are crowned by a pedestrianised route that commands excellent views over to Capo Caccia about the gloomy horizon. Restaurants and pubs line the walkway, giving the ideal place to sit back and lap up the vacation setting.

Chiesa di San Francesco

Alghero’s greatest church is a model of architectural stability. Originally constructed into some Catalan Gothic design in the 14th century, it was given a Renaissance facelift following it partly collapsed in 1593. Indoors, interest is centered on the 18th-century polychrome marble altar along with a peculiar 17th-century wooden sculpture of a haggard Christ tied into a column. Throughout the sacristy it is possible to input a gorgeous 14th-century cloister, in which the 22 columns join a string of rounded arches.

Piazza Civica

Only Within Porta a Mare, Piazza Civica is Alghero’s Display square. In a former life it had been the administrative center of this medieval town, however Spanish aristocrats formerly met to debate cases of empire, tourists today converge to navigate jewellery screens in elegant store windows, eat gelati and beverage in the city’s greatest cafe — Caffè Costantino. It occupies the bottom floor of this Gothic Palazzo d’Albis, in which the Spanish emperor Charles V beautifully remained in 1541.

Chiesa di San Michele

Just Within Porta a Mare, Piazza Civica is Alghero’s Display square. In a former life it was the administrative centre of the medieval city, nevertheless Spanish aristocrats previously fulfilled to debate instances of empire, tourists now converge to browse jewelry displays in elegant shop windows, eat gelati and drink in town’s biggest cafe — Caffè Costantino. It occupies the bottom floor of this Gothic Palazzo d’Albis, where the Spanish emperor Charles V superbly stayed in 1541.

Cattedrale di Santa Maria

Overlooking Piazza Duomo, Alghero’s oversize Cattedrale di Santa Maria seems out of place with its pompous neoclassical facade and fat Doric columns. An unfortunate 19th-century inclusion, the facade has been the final in a long line of alterations that the hybrid has endured because it was constructed, initially on Catalan Gothic traces from the 16th century. Inside it is chiefly Renaissance, with a few late-baroque baubles inserted from the 18th century.

Museo Archeologico della Città di Alghero

The history of human settlement from the Alghero region is charted in this shiny new archaeological museum, inaugurated in December 2016. Artefacts found in nuraghic villages, neolithic temples and Roman shipwrecks have been displayed in thematic displays regarding the sea, historical methods of life, and cults and passing.

Forte della Maddalena

On the north of this old city, the Forte della Maddalena is the only survivor of three temples built in the end of the 16th century to fortify the town’s property battlements. Its tower, referred to as the Torre della Maddalena or Torre di Garibaldi, dates to a previous medieval period.

Torre di Sulis

Dominating Piazza Sulis, this landmark tower was initially referred to as the Torre de l’Esperó Reial or even Torre dello Sperone (Tower of their Royal Spur). Its present name is a reference Vincenzo Sulis, a 19th-century Sardinian groundbreaking who spent 22 years back inside its 6m-thick walls.

Torre Porta a Terra

Close to the Giardini Pubblici, the 14th-century Torre Porta a Terra is all that remains of Porta a Terra, among the two chief gates to the medieval town. Even a stumpy 23m-high tower called initially as Porta Reial, it’s a panoramic terrace with excellent rooftop views across to the ocean.

Museo del Corallo

Housed at a Liberty-style Grove, this little museum is devoted to Alghero’s coral commerce. Information panels and displays, including functions of cherry jewelry, exemplify how coral was harvested through the last few years and the role it’s played at local artisanal customs.

Spiaggia di San Giovanni

The nearest beach to the historical center, Spiaggia di San Giovanni is a portion of a very long stretch of sand which curves round the bay nearly uninterrupted to Fertilia. In Alghero you could hire umbrellas and sunloungers for approximately $15 daily, in addition to windsurfers and canoes.

Torre di San Giovanni

This remarkable 16th-century tower is currently utilized to stage temporary exhibitions. A squat, thick-set construction, it’s a circumference of 60m and walls 4.3m thick.

Giardini Pubblici

Sooner or later you will likely end up passing by Alghero’s public homes. The lush park, which effectively divides the medieval center from the new city, was made from the 19th century once the landward stretches of the city’s defensive walls were ripped down. Nowadays it is frequented by everyone from tourists and street vendors to teens and talking sailors.

Museo Diocesano d’Arte Sacra

This tradition of religious art, at the prior Oratorio del Rosario, homes spiritual artefacts in the Cattedrale di Santa Maria, such as silverware, statuary, paintings and woodcarvings. Keep an eye out for its ghoulish reliquary of what’s claimed to be among those innocenti (newborn infants slaughtered by Herod in his hunt for the Christ child). The small skull is terrifying, but seemingly it belonged to Alghero artist Francesco Pinna, that had been given it with a Roman cardinal from the 16th century.