Alghero
Alghero is a city of 30 thousand inhabitants, strongly considered a tourist destination with a special characteristic: the spoken language is Catalan, imported during the Aragonese domination period. The colonists that moved to Alghero, mostly from Catalogna imposed their culture and traditions that are also found in the architectonic style of the historical centre. At few kilometres away, exactly in Porto Conte, the Roman disembarked many centuries earlier and built a landing port, which is considered an engineering jewel.
In 1212 the Pisan people conquered Alghero, which forty years later passed under the noble Genovese family of the Doria, who settled into the stronghold. But in 1353, the Aragoneses (allied with the Venetian People) won the extenuating battle against the Genovese family, fought in front of Porto Conte. In the centre of Alghero there are still many testimonies of the. The Aragonese and Spanish dominations, beginning with the Bastions facing the port and the (seafront) Lungomare Marco Polo. The towers encircling the historical centre are also quite numerous, such as those of Sulis, Porta a Terra, San Giovanni and San Giacomo
The entire historic centre is very beautiful and its nightlife is great especially in the summery period, New Year's Eve and Easter, thanks to important cultural, eating-and-drinking, and events associations. Among the many buildings, we point out the communal Theatre, Palau Lavagna, Palau d’Albis, Palau de Carcassona and Palau del Veguer. In Alghero, the cathedral of Santa Maria, Episcopal centre, was built in 1503 in late gothic style. The first part of the building terminated during half of the XVI century: restoration works started immediately after, when the noble families of the city guaranteed the economic funds for the necessary works. The original facade was then lost and today it is replaced by the one constructed in 1862, with four Doric columns of clear early-Classic inspiration. It is worth visiting the churches of Saint Francisco d' Assisi, San Michele, of the Carmelo and of the Misericordia.
