Alghero

The city of Alghero in Sardinia

The gateway to Stintino is the airport outside Alghero, a fishing port about an hour's drive south.

Alghero is well worth a visit for its lovely medieval center and quirky status as a cultural outpost of the Spanish region of Catalunya. In fact, some around here still call it Barceloneta ("Little Barcelona"), and the local dialect is neither Italian nor Sardegnan but Catalan (street signs are bilingual).

There's little specifically to do here, just to wander the pebble-cobbled streets, shop for Alghero's famous blood-red coral jewelry, stroll the imposing stone ramparts by the sea, and enjoy sumtuous Catalan cuisine in the tiny restaurant of Al Tugari behind the cathedral.

Where to stay in Alghero

• Villa Las Tronas Hotel & SPA is a castle-like mini-mansion with luxurious rooms and inodoor-outdoor pools on a spit of land thrust into the azure waters of the Mediterranean at the southern edge of Alghero's historic center. Doubles from €259. » book
• Villa Mosca - This lovely little Art Nouveau villa just south of the historic center stands like a yellow exclamation point amid gardens (spectacular in spring, when the plants bloom into a blanket of fuschia). Rooms are done in a kind of post-modern take on Nouveau, and the best look over the sea across the road. Via Gramsci 17. Tel. 079-957-7203, villamosca.it. Doubles from €158. » book
• B&B Lo Smeraldo is a clean, modest, very friendly little five-room B&B in the bustling seaside district a few blocks north of the historic center of Alghero with WiFi and daily breakfast in a nearby cafe. Doubles from €50; sea view from €60. » book
• Wind Sardinya Sail Bed on Boat is nothing is not unique: A B&B on board a sailboat moored at the Alghero harbor. Cabins for 2 from €130, cabins for 4 from €160. » book
• Agriturismo Arena Del Sol is a modern four-room B&B conveniently near the airport (for early flights out) right next to the prehistoric Nuraghe La Giorba site. Regione Arenosi 16, Fertilia, Alghero. Tel. +39-TK. » book
• More hotels at Booking.com. » book

Where to eat in Alghero

• Al Tuguri. Benito Carbonella and his family run an old-fashioned restaurant of old-fashioned flavors tucked away in the heart of Alghero's streets—not that he's wedded to tradition. His idea is to take Sardegna ingredients and create dishes on the fly, depending on whatever's fresh and in season. It's the kind of place where you feel half like family, half like an honored guest. In other words: Perfect. Via Maiorca 113, Alghero. Tel. +39-079-976-772, www.altuguri.it. Meals from €50.

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