A leisurely stroll around Alghero’s animated centro storico is a good way of tuning in to the city’s laid-back rhythms. The dark, medieval lanes come to life in the early evening when crowds swell the alleyways to parade their tans and browse the shop windows.
The entire city centre was originally enclosed, but in the 19th century the land-ward walls were torn down and partially replaced by the Giardini Pubblici , a green space that now effectively separates the old town from the new.
Near the Giardini, the 14th-century Torre Porta a Terra is all that remains of Porta a Terra, one of the two main gates into the medieval city. A stumpy 23m-high tower known originally as Porta Reial, it now houses a small multimedia museum dedicated to the city’s past and, on the 2nd floor, a terrace with sweeping, 360-degree views.
To the south, another impressive tower, the Torre di San Giovanni hosts temporary art exhibitions.
Guarding the sea by busy Piazza Sulis, Torre Sulis closes off the defensive line of towers to the south of the old town. To the north the Bastione della Maddalena , with its eponymous tower, forms the only remnant of the city’s former land battlements.
Just west of the bastion, and overlooking the crowded marina, is Porta a Mare , the second of Alghero’s medieval gateways. Steps by the gate lead up to the portside bastions, which stretch around to Torre della Polveriera at the northernmost tip of the centro storico . The Mediterranean crashes up against the seaward walls of the Bastioni Marco Polo and Bastioni Cristoforo Colombo , the city’s western wall. Along these seaward bulwarks are some inviting restaurants and bars where you can watch the sunset over a cocktail.
