Alghero

Aragon took Alghero in 1353 and settled it with people from Catalonia, and Algherese, a variety of Catalan, has been spoken here ever since; street signs are bilingual and the language has official recognition, though speaker numbers have fallen. The sea walls and bastions survive and are walked as a promenade above the water. Along the coast at Capo Caccia, Neptune's Grotto is a large sea cave with a saltwater lake inside, reached either by boat or by the Escala del Cabirol, a stair of over six hundred steps cut down the cliff face. Red coral has been fished off this coast for centuries.

What you actually see

• The Catalan language - Algherese still spoken and used on street signs.
• The sea walls - bastions walked as a promenade above the water.
• Neptune's Grotto - a sea cave with an interior saltwater lake.
• The cliff stair - over six hundred steps down Capo Caccia.

When to go

May to September; the grotto boats and the cliff stair both close in rough weather. August is crowded. The old town is pleasant year-round.

Honest expectations

Boat access to the grotto is cancelled in swell, and the stair is a hard climb back. The old town is heavily geared to visitors. Coral sold is often not local.

Nearby

Capo Caccia lies west; Bosa is south along the coast.