Alghero
Situated in the northwest of Sardinia, Alghero is widely known as the Catalan city of Italy or as affectionately considered by Catalans as “Barcelonetta of Sardinia”. It was founded in 1102 by the powerful Doria family of Genoa, who decided to fortify the promontory joined to the mainland from a large isthmus. Seaweed (Algae) piled on the new fortification and this in turn perhaps gave the city its name.
Porto Conte
Capo Caccia is a rocky spur, facing southwards and measuring 168 metres in height, while to the west lies the deep bay of Porto Conte. From a naturalistic, geographical and ecological point of view it is without doubt one of the most interesting areas of Sardinia. The extreme point, with its inaccessible walls, is joined to the mainland by a thin isthmus, which juts out into the sea. It hosts a flora unique in Europe and a rich fauna with many rare species in danger of extinction.
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Nuraghe Palmavera
The nuragic village of Palmavera is found on the southern slope of its namesake mountain, at 65 metres above sea level and less than 2 km from the sea along a natural pathway that joins the gulf of Alghero with that of Porto Conte and at the centre of an archaeological area of remarkable importance where human settlements from the Neolithic to the late Roman ages have been found. It was constructed before 1000 B.C. then rebuilt and enlarged in various phases until after 1800
Grotte di Nettuno
Situated at the bottom of the imposing western cliff of Capo Caccia, the caves take their name from the God of the sea “Neptune”. They are probably the most famous and most beautiful of the Sardinian caves. Once can enter them with a little difficulty from the sea or from the top of Capo Caccia, descending a bold and breathtakingly high 654 step artificial flight of stairs, called the Escala del Capirol (the Steps of the Deer). |
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