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The top 5 things to do and see in Alghero, Italy

Alghero is a city on the northwest coast of Sardinia, Italy. Surrounded by ancient walls, it is known for its old center.


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Alghero is a city on the northwest coast of Sardinia, Italy. Surrounded by ancient walls, it is known for its old center. Alghero is a good place for some days of sunshine, beach, great food, and an attractive historical center. Shops are open until midnight and dining out does not start until 21:30.


1. Alghero Cathedral

Alghero Cathedral
Alghero Cathedral

Alghero Cathedral, otherwise the Cathedral of St. Mary the Immaculate, is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Alghero in the province of Sassari, Sardinia, Italy. It is located in the historic center of the city. It was the seat of the Bishop of Alghero from 1503 to 1986, and since 1986 has been that of the Bishop of Alghero-Bosa. Alghero was designated as a diocesan seat in 1503 but construction work on the cathedral did not begin until 1567. It was inaugurated in 1593 but was not finished. After several restorations, it was consecrated in 1730.


2. Nuraghe Palmavera

Nuraghe Palmavera
Nuraghe Palmavera

The nuraghe Palmavera is an archaeological site located in the territory of Alghero, Sardinia. It is classified as a complex nuraghe, that consists of several towers joined together. The nuraghe and the surrounding village were built in various phases during the Bronze Age and the Iron Age.


3. Necropolis of Anghelu Ruju

Necropolis of Anghelu Ruju
Necropolis of Anghelu Ruju

The necropolis of Anghelu Ruju is an archaeological site located in the town of Alghero, Province of Sassari, Sardinia. This is the largest necropolis of pre-Nuragic Sardinia. The necropolis was discovered accidentally in 1903 during the excavations for the construction of a farmhouse, in the winery of Sella&Mosca. On that occasion were found a human skull and a tripod vessel. Following these discoveries, the archaeologist Antonio Taramelli effected, the following year, the first excavations of the site.


4. Chiesa di San Francesco

Chiesa di San Francesco
Chiesa di San Francesco

The Church of San Francesco di Alghero is one of the greatest examples of Catalan Gothic architecture in Sardinia.
It rises in the historical center of the city in via Carlo Alberto. It is a complex consisting of the church and a convent next to the church, probably built at the end of the 12th century and which has always marked and proposed the human, evangelical and social encounter of the Franciscan friars with the people.


5. Ancient tanneries of Bosa

Ancient tanneries of Bosa
Ancient tanneries of Bosa

A symbol of Sardinia’s proto-industrial archaeology. The tanning tradition of Bosa dates back to ancient Rome, maybe even before that. Rediscovered in the 17th century, it grew until it became a very successful business, from the second half of the 19th century throughout the first half of the 20th century.