Bosa

Bosa stands a short way up the Temo, the only river in Sardinia that carried boats, with houses in ochre, pink, blue and yellow stacked on the slope below the Malaspina castle of 1112. On the far bank stand the sas Conzas, rows of stone tannery buildings from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries that used the river water, abandoned when the industry ended and now partly restored as a monument to it. The castle chapel holds fourteenth-century frescoes. Malvasia di Bosa, a sweet wine made in small quantities on the surrounding hills, has a protected designation. The coast road north to Alghero is among the most scenic on the island.

What you actually see

• The painted houses - strong colours stacked below the castle.
• The sas Conzas - rows of riverside tannery buildings.
• The Malaspina castle - a 1112 fortress with a frescoed chapel.
• The coast road - a scenic route north with griffon vulture cliffs.

When to go

April to October; the coast road is best driven in clear weather. Summer brings visitors to the beach at Bosa Marina. Winter is quiet with reduced services.

Honest expectations

The tanneries are partly ruined with limited access. The castle is a steep climb. Bosa Marina, the beach, is a separate settlement two kilometres away.

Nearby

Alghero lies north; the Sinis peninsula is south.