Castelsardo

The Doria family founded the town in 1102 on a rock headland, and the old quarter climbs in tight lanes to a castle that now holds a museum of basketry. Weaving with dwarf palm, rush, asphodel and reed has been done here for centuries, mostly by women working in doorways and courtyards, and the museum documents the different techniques and their uses for bread baskets, fish traps and storage. A few kilometres inland stands the Roccia dell'Elefante, a trachyte boulder eroded into a shape resembling an elephant, into which domus de janas, prehistoric rock-cut tombs, were carved.

History

Archaeological excavations have shown people in the area in pre-Nuragic and Nuragic times and in the Roman period (Wikipedia, Castelsardo).

Highlights

• The basketry museum - techniques in palm, rush, asphodel and reed.
• The Doria castle - a 1102 fortress at the top of the citadel.
• The Roccia dell'Elefante - an eroded boulder holding rock-cut tombs.
• The gulf views - the Asinara coast from the castle walls.

When to go

April to October; Easter processions here are among the best known in Sardinia. The citadel is steep and stepped in any season.

Things to know

The town is small and steep with parking below. Much basketry sold in shops is imported. The museum is compact.

Nearby

Asinara lies west across the gulf; Alghero is southwest.