Alghero: Sardinia's Catalan soul

Colonized by Catalan settlers in the fourteenth century, Alghero still speaks its own Catalan dialect and is therefore nicknamed 'Barceloneta,' the little Barcelona.

The historic center and ramparts can be visited on foot.

The narrow streets of Alghero's historic center still preserve bilingual signs in Italian and Algherese, the Catalan dialect spoken by part of the local population.

A few steps away, the Cathedral of Santa Maria blends Catalan-Gothic and Renaissance elements accumulated over centuries of alterations, with an octagonal bell tower visible from much of the historic center.

Walking along the Bastions that run along the sea you observe the most photographed sunsets of the city, among the ancient Spanish fortifications.

In the afternoon, a boat takes you to the Grotto of Neptune, a marine cavity on the promontory of Capo Caccia reachable also on foot by six hundred fifty-four steps carved into the rock.

Those who choose the staircase instead of the boat to reach Neptune's Grotto must then climb the same elevation on foot: a detail that many guides forget to mention before departing.

The Algherese language, though derived from medieval Catalan brought by Aragonese colonists, has evolved in isolation for centuries, becoming today comprehensible only in part to those who speak Catalan from Catalonia.