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Alghero (L’Alguer)
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With 44 thousand inhabitants, it is the fifth most populated town in Sardinia. It is known all over the world as “Barceloneta”, meaning little Barcelona, because of its Catalan origins. Over the centuries, Alghero has been conquered numerous times; but it’s only as of the eleventh century, that its most recent history gets written. First, the foundation of the ancient village by the Doria, a noble family from Genoa; then a series of attempted conquests. The unsuccessful conquest attempt by the Pisans in 1283 was, instead, followed by the conquest of the area by the Catalans in 1353. Led by Peter IV of Aragon, nicknamed “The Ceremonious”, he conquered the town, thanks also to a famine and an epidemic plague which had weakened the area. This would mark the beginning of the Catalan influence, which would continue in time, despite the ruling of other conquerors. In the second half of the Fourteenth century, the crisis of the Aragon Kingdom allowed the “Giudicessa”, Eleanor of Arborea, and her husband, Brancaleone Doria, to conquer Alghero again. Then, the Spanish and the Savoia rulings followed in 1720. However, the Catalan culture had already entered into the DNA of this town, insomuch as the ancient version of Catalan is still spoken by the population today and still influences customs. Even public acts, roads signs, and the names of squares are both in Italian and Catalan, so that Alghero is considered to be a linguistic island: 35% of its inhabitants speak Catalan in an Alghero variation, resulting in a minor language recognized by the Italian Republic and the Sardinia Region.
Alghero is the chief town of the “Riviera del Corallo” (Coral Riviera), because of the huge quantity of red coral of the finest quality present in the seabed of the roadstead, and the coast which leads up to Capo Caccia. A natural and economic heritage which gave life to an out-and-out district specialized in the handcrafted processing of this organism. In the striking historical centre of Alghero, there are many laboratories and goldsmith’s shops where tourists have the opportunity to admire stunning masterpieces in coral and see the tricky stages of the processing. The “coral tour” is one of the experiences that those coming to Capo Caccia and Alghero cannot absolutely miss out on!
