Municipality in the province of Sassari, situated on a small hill overlooking a series of vast beaches, the main centre of Alghero is extremely heterogeneous, even though it is possible to recognize in most homes a typical XVIII-XIX century style.
The imposing city walls, built at different times, between the XIII-XVIII centuries, still surround the old center and are often marked by circular bastions.
Before the year 1000, there is no certain information about the inhabitants of the area, where today stands Alghero. Founded in 1102 by the noble Doria, a powerful family of Genoa, the first group of houses developed to the North, around the port, and then two smaller districts started to develop outside the city's boundaries. In the XVI century arose the village of Villanova towards South.
The territories belonged to city of Genoa for 2 and ½ centuries, between the XII and mid XIV, then it passed to the Aragonese, who, having defeated the Genoese fleet, helped a colony of Spanish Catalans move in, exiling the previous Ligurian and Sardinian inhabitants. It submitted the Spanish rule for four centuries, and the Catalan imprint was impressed in the local architecture, dialect and customs. They were also responsible of the building of road connections between the different urban settlements. In 1720 the entire island passed to the Savoy and Alghero ended up losing importance in favor of Porto Torres, which was more easily accessible from the Ligurian coast.
Attractions:
- the Church of San Francesco, built in the late XIV century and later rebuilt in Gothic style, features a simple façade, intersected only by the portal and the two central rosette windows that reveal two different building phases: the lower was completed in the second half of the XIV century, while the upper level dates back to the late XVI century. It features a chancel covered with vaults, galleries and side chapels. It is characterized by a small Romanesque cloister and lodge, that on the lower level features XV century elements, while the higher level proposes details of the XVIII century;
- the late XVIII century Cathedral, which features a choir and a Bell Tower, built in more ancient times, the latter has a hexagonal shape plan and is placed in the apse. The structure is characterized by an octagonal shaped roof with a porch with Doric columns surmounted by a pediment;
- the Church of San Michele in Baroque style;
- The Tower of Porta Terra, built in the XV century by the Jewish community and was one of two main access gateways to the city through the ancient walls;
- the XVI century Palazzo Machin, which features a beautiful portal surmounted by a special glazed window in Gothic-Catalan style;
- the XVI century watchtower Esperò Reyal;
- Palazzo Albis-De Ferrera with its late-Gothic façade;
- the Bastion of the Maddalena;
- the public garden.