Alghero, Sardinia (Italy)

...excellent gelaterias in
Alghero, serving most flavours you can imagine.

There are many cafes, but a nice (if somewhat expensive) one is Cafe Latino.
You can sit on the walls overlooking the port and nurse a coffee or an
aperitif and watch the world go by.

SUMMARY

Before you go, arm yourself with a copy of the Rough Guide to Sardinia. The
guide has a useful section on the ...
...(and I could tell you lots about the rest of Sardinia but this is
supposed to be about Alghero!) There is also a very useful tourist office
near the public gardens and "Porta Terra" (one of the remaining guard towers
of the old walls).

The locals are friendly and welcoming, and will happily give you advice and
pointers, or direct you to their favourite little trattoria.

There ... more

Alghero is a wonderful town on an amazing island. I'm almost tempted to
leave my review at that and let you discover the place for yourself, but I
have a feeling you'd like to know a little bit more. So here are my
recommendations, based on more than a dozen trips over the past couple of
years. We even convinced my brother to buy a place there this summer!

WHEN TO GO

Alghero is great year round, but June to September are the warmest times. We
have experienced 30 degree weather in the middle of October. It can get cool
at night, even in summer, because there is so little cloud cover. It rarely
rains, even in winter. My daughter has gone scuba diving in March, although
she admits it was a little chilly! Easter has wonderful festivals and
processions,

HOW TO GET THERE

First, the only way of getting there direct from the UK is Ryanair. The good
news is that if you can fly midweek, or take advantage of one of their seat
sales, you can fly for under £20 return (plus the inevitable taxes). The
highest price seems to be around £120 (!) each way, even midweek, unless you
can secure a deal.

www.volareweb.com, which flew from Luton to Cagliari, the capital in the south of the island, has gone bankrupt, but Easyjet will be flying to Cagliari and Olbia from spring 2005. It's about a three hour drive (or bus ride) from Cagliari to Alghero,and you can stop off and see some sights on the way.

The descent into Alghero is great, over Corsica just to the north, and
across the northwestern tip of the island, and into the airport. The airport
itself is more like a bus station (there is a bar/newsagent and not much
else), and the bags come quickly.

The FdS bus leaves from in front of departures after each domestic arrival.
When you leave the baggage claim area, turn left and and stop at the
souvenir shop in the middle of the terminal to buy your tickets (60 cents).
Then walk through the airport with the car rental places on your right,
towards departures. As you approach departures, you will see an exit to your
right. Go out and turn left. The bus should be there, but if not wait by the
FdS sign (it has a "map" of the route with the stops listed), and one will
turn up eventually. It might be good to send one of your party ahead, as the
bus has been known to leave early. Once on board, validate your ticket in
the machine. This can be a bit tricky. Put it in in the direction of the
arrow. If it doesn't work try turning the ticket upside down. You have you
push quite hard. The machine will go clunk and print some stuff on your
ticket.

Where you get off depends on where you are staying. The town itself has
basically three sections, all of which the bus serves - the old town, the
modern town, and Alghero Lido, which stretches out along the beautiful
beaches, and which has many of the modern hotels. The only downside is that
most of these are open only during the summer season, and Alghero is worth
visiting at any time of the year.

WHERE TO STAY

For self-catering, check out www.algheroflat.com.

We have stayed in two hotels, the Hotel La Margherita, just north of the old
town, and the Hotel San Francesco, in the pedestrianised old town. Both are
excellent value for money, with rates that included buffet breakfast.
(Italians like very sweet brioche type pastries in the morning, but there
are lots of other things on offer, and of course, cappuccino, which Italians
drink ONLY at breakfast.) En-suite doubles at La Margherita range from 82 to
100 Euros per night, 70 to 85 Euros at the San Francesco.They are the
cheapest options open all year, and should be booked well in advance,
especially in high season.Both have their advantages. At the La Margherita,
ask for a room on the top floor, facing the sea, and you will be rewarded by
wonderful views from your balcony. The San Francesco is part of an old
church and convent, and breakfast is taken on a terrace overlooking the
cloister. For both hotels, parking can be arranged at a nearby garage. There
are also free parking lots down by the port, on the road back to the
airport, but don't leave anything valuable in the car. (There's not much
crime but it's good to be careful.)

OK, while I am talking about parking, let's talk about cars.If you are
staying more than a couple of days, and want to explore the area (or indeed
any part of Sardinia), you will want a car. For example, the road from
Alghero to Bosa is one of the most beautiful corniche drives in the world.
There are all the majors at Alghero airport, but there is only one place to
go - the local Sardinya Rentacar. A Citroen Saxo is only 182 Euros a week
all inclusive, for example.You must book ahead though at
http://www.autonoleggiosardinya.it/ing/index.htm.

WHAT TO SEE

Alghero has a fascinating history, having spent a lot of time being shuttled
between various Italian noble families before being conquered by Barcelona
in 1353. The Spanish influence remains strong (Alghero is still known as
"Little Barcelona") and if you speak Spanish you will find you can use it.
Street names are in both Catalan and Italian. Streets are called different
things in each language, and it gets confusing, because the more prominent
signs are in Catalan, but the maps give the names in Italian!

The town itself can be "done" in a day or two. There is a little train that
leaves from the port whenever, it seems, the driver feels like setting off,
and it will help you get your bearings. The cathedral is worth seeing, as
are the other churches. If you come at Easter, there are marvellous
processions through the streets in the evening. The walls on seaward side
remain (they were demolished landward to enable expansion) and a stroll
along these is always pleasant. Join the rest of the town in the
"passagiata", the evening stroll. (Indeed, the town shuts down for three or
four hours in the afternoon, and then comes to life again in the evening.)

Dominating Alghero is Capo Caccia, a huge headland across the bay. Here you
will find Neptune's Grotto, a stunning series of caves. The easiest way to
get there is by the boats that leave frequently from the port. This includes
a little cruise, with commentary, which takes in another cave into which the
boat sails. Now, the first time we did this, they put on some music that was
meant to be atmospheric. OK, picture yourself on a largish motor-yacht,
sailing into a cave with music from Titanic playing! I kid you not! If you
have a car, you can drive there, although doing that involves going down
(and of course UP) what is charmingly known as the "Goat's Staircase" - 654
steps!

Around and about there are examples of the stone-age Nuraghic civilisation,
which once dominated the island, the towns of Porto Conte (and its lovely
bay) and Fertilia (where the airport actually is).

Otherwise, in season, the beaches are great, and again, if you have a car,
you can go a little further afield and find some very secluded beaches.
There is lots of opportunity for water sports, and the scuba diving is
particularly renowned (my daughter learnt to dive here) with loads of caves
and sea life in the pristine, azure waters.

FOOD!

Food is one reason to come. The seafood is wonderful, especially the Sea
Bass ("Spigola") and the lobster that they do in a specific way. Also worth
looking out for are Malloredus, also called Gnochetti Sardi, which are
little pasta shells usually served with a tomato and sausage sauce. The best
white wine is Torbato, from the nearby Sella & Mosca vineyard, which also
makes Cannonau, a pungent red. Liqueurs include Limoncello (lemon), white or
red Mirto (myrtle) and Fillu et Feru (literally "Barbed Wire" which I will
let you discover for yourself!) All meals are served with carasau, known as
carta di musica in the rest of Italy. It's paper thin, crispy bread, and
delicious.

There are any number of good places to eat in and around the old town. Three
of our favourites are Da Pietro, just up the street from the San Francesco,
Osteria Taverna Paradiso, on Via Principe Umberto, near the theatre, and the
spaghetteria Al Solito Posto, on Piazza della Misericordia , which is great
for lunch, and also now does fish.

Da Pietro is a very old establishment, with a vaulted dining room. The owner
sits in a corner watching TV and overseeing the service, and the food is
very good, and not expensive. This is also the place to try Seadas (also
Sebadas), a traditional Sardinian dessert, a kind of ravioli filled with
mascarpone cheese and smothered in honey. A million calories, but delicious.

Paradiso is another great place. It has won the award for the best cheese
restaurant in Italy. It is very informal, presided over by Pasquale, an
aging hippy who plays great music (although not loud) and serves up the
cheese. His wife Patrizia cooks, wonderfully. It's a place to come for meat
if you are looking for a break from seafood, although that is great here
too. It also has a non-smoking section.

For something a bit special, Andreini on Via Arduino is wonderful, and not
too expensive.

In summer, there are lots of opportunities for eating on the walls. La
Muraglia does good set menus.

Let's not forget the ice cream either. Like the rest of Italy, Sardinians
love their ice cream, and there are plenty of excellent gelaterias in
Alghero, serving most flavours you can imagine.

There are many cafes, but a nice (if somewhat expensive) one is Cafe Latino.
You can sit on the walls overlooking the port and nurse a coffee or an
aperitif and watch the world go by.

SUMMARY

Before you go, arm yourself with a copy of the Rough Guide to Sardinia. The
guide has a useful section on the town, and of course covers the whole
island (and I could tell you lots about the rest of Sardinia but this is
supposed to be about Alghero!) There is also a very useful tourist office
near the public gardens and "Porta Terra" (one of the remaining guard towers
of the old walls).

The locals are friendly and welcoming, and will happily give you advice and
pointers, or direct you to their favourite little trattoria.

There is so much more I could say, but this is already long enough. The nice
thing about Alghero is that, while it has been quietly welcoming tourists
for decades, tourism is not its main economic activity, and so it has not
become one of the kitsch seaside places that has souvenir shops selling junk
one after the other. (If you want a souvenir, buy some red coral jewellery
for which the town is famous.)

It's a great place for a quiet break, and while there are bars and
nightclubs as well, anyone looking for Faliraki will be sorely disappointed
- and anyone not looking for Faliraki will be in heaven. We feel we are,
every time we go.
 

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