Alghero

Alghero is at around 250 miles facing Barcelona, although a little bit south east, on a line under the 41° parallel which goes through Tortosa, and therefore almost in the same direction of the dominant winds of this sea area: the Ponente (west wind) and the Maestrale (the Mistral, north west wind). But at the same time Alghero is protected from the strong north west wind which blows for most of the year, thanks to the double promontory of Capo Caccia and Punta Giglio which offered a natural and vast gulf-port for who came from the Iberian peninsula.

Alghero is a little town of the province of Sassari and has about 40.000 inhabitants. Alghero was born in the year 1102 thanks to a powerful family from Genova: the Doria, which defended it from the continuous attacks of the Pisan and Aragonese ships. In 1284, Alghero was occupied by the Pisans. In the 1354, the Catalans fought and disowned the Genovese fleet. As a consequence the Algheresi declared the surrender and opened the doors to the conquerors. The Doria left the town. A large number of inhabitants away, the first Catalanisation of Alghero started. The king Pietro IV gave to the Algheresi some privileges: amongst them the public offices, the commerce and the practice of the cult. King Pietro IV also declared the union of the village to the Aragonese crown.

Alghero has several translation: in sardo-logudorese S'Alighera, in the Sassarese dialect L'Aliera, in Catalan L'Alguer, in Algherese L'Alghè. But its inhabitants sometimes also call it with affection Barceloneta (which is pronounced Baltsarunéta) like maybe the first Catalan population coming from overseas in the middle of 14th century. use to call it. This first Catalan population gave Alghero this particular Catalan character which still distinguishes it from the other Sardinian towns. The name Alghero, according to the most accredited Sardinian historians, starting with Fara, derives from Alga, Latin basis of Algarium, that is to say place where abounds seaweeds. (alga=seaweed)). There is an airport in Alghero which is at about 6 km from the city centre (which is linked with Sassari). Alghero has an economic structure in which prevail together with the tourism industry, the wine production and some handcraft and industrial activities; The agricultural and zoo technical sectors together with the fishing activity and the maritime commerce seems to suffer from the recession.

The prospective of a balanced development of the economy of Alghero is today to reorganise the different agricultural sectors and to boost the port and maritime activities. As far as tourism is concerned (marked by the seasonality with a foreign clientele of medium to high income), it has only started to diversify itself in favour of a larger public (business tourism, congresses, senior citizens, schools, agriturismo etc.) and it is maybe thanks to the introduction of these other form of tourism that Alghero will be able to promote its historical, environmental and cultural values.

Still today, the beautiful Catalan city attracts tourists in the summer time as well as in the spring time. Italian and foreign tourists come to visit the splendid coast and historical centre of Alghero which has conserved its architectural and urban characteristics. It's the most typical and famous touristical attraction of the Riviera del Corallo. Its coasts, rich in small bays which hides wonderful beaches, pine forests, doves and indented cliffs which falls in the emerald green of the sea, create a wild and beautiful natural environment. The climate is always mild between the spring time and the autumn and the transparent clear turquoise waters of the sea, the hot sunshine and the perfumes of the Mediterranean vegetation invite you to relax, to fully live a pleasant and thoughtless stay and to enjoy the delicious typical cooking from Alghero, famous for its exquisite lobster and wine.

It's a real paradise for the sportive people which can dedicate themselves to fishing, swimming, underwater fishing, exploring the numerous caves of Capo Caccia, windsurfing, sailing, tennis playing, horse riding… etc. An ideal place for who wishes to visit the surroundings rich in prehistorical remains such as the "nuraghi" and the "domus de janas".

Alghero is also a city of Art, history, traditions, culture and amusement. You will discover its gotico-catalan churches, the antic towers and the aragonese architecture, the customs of the traditional celebrations, the traditional habits, the craft of the coral, the Catalan language of its welcoming and friendly people, the traditional songs, the dialect, the numerous popular events and festivals, bars, clubs and many other fun activities.

Fonte: www.alguer.it