Must-see attractions in Northwestern Sardinia

  • Sea wall of Alghero. North of Sardinia. Itlay.Alghero's golden sea walls, built around the centro storico by the Aragonese in the 16th century, are a highlight of the town's historic cityscape.; Shutterstock ID 576280477; Your name (First / Last): Anna Tyler; GL account no.: 65050; Netsuite department name: Online Editorial; Full Product or Project name including edition: destination-image-southern-europe

    Sea Walls

    Alghero

    Alghero's golden sea walls, built around the centro storico by the Aragonese in the 16th century, are a highlight of the town's historic cityscape…

  • Asinara Island, Cala dei Ponzesi

    Parco Nazionale dell'Asinara

    Northwestern Sardinia

    Named after its resident asini bianchi (albino donkeys), the Isola dell'Asinara encompasses 51 sq km of macchia (Mediterranean scrub), rocky coastline and…

  • Museo Nazionale Sanna

    Sassari

    Sassari's premier museum, housed in a grand Palladian villa, has a comprehensive archaeological collection and an ethnographical section dedicated to…

  • ALGHERO, SARDINIA, ITALY - JUL 07, 2016:  The Church of San Francesco, the 14th century; Shutterstock ID 703363372; Your name (First / Last): Anna Tyler; GL account no.: 65050; Netsuite department name: Online Editorial; Full Product or Project name including edition: destination-image-southern-europe

    Chiesa di San Francesco

    Alghero

    Alghero's finest church is a model of architectural harmony. Originally built to a Catalan Gothic design in the 14th century, it was later given a…

  • Cattedrale di Santa Maria in the ancient city of Alghero on the west coast of Sardinia; Shutterstock ID 336198101; Your name (First / Last): Anna Tyler; GL account no.: 65050; Netsuite department name: Online Editorial; Full Product or Project name including edition: destination-image-southern-europe

    Campanile

    Alghero

    Rising above the historic centre, the Cattedrale di Santa Maria's 16th-century campanile is one of Alghero's signature landmarks. The tower, accessible…

  • Grotta di Nettuno

    Northwestern Sardinia

    Capo Caccia's principal crowd-puller is the Grotta di Nettuno, a haunting fairyland of stalactites and stalagmites. The easiest way to get to the caves is…

  • Spiaggia della Pelosa

    Northwestern Sardinia

    About 2.5km north of Stintino, the Spiaggia della Pelosa is a dreamy image of beach perfection: a salt-white strip of sand lapped by shallow, turquoise…

  • Le Prigionette Nature Reserve

    Northwestern Sardinia

    This reserve, just west of Porto Conte at the base of Monte Timidone (361m), is a beautiful pocket of uncontaminated nature. Encompassing 12 sq km of…

  • Monte d’Accoddi

    Northwestern Sardinia

    Signposted off the SS131 between Sassari and Porto Torres, Monte d’Accoddi is a unique Neolithic temple. Unlike anything else in the Mediterranean basin …

  • Piazza Italia

    Sassari

    Sassari’s largest piazza is one of Sardinia’s most impressive public spaces. Covering about a hectare, it is surrounded by imposing 19th-century buildings…

  • Nuraghe Santu Antine

    Nuraghe Santu Antine

    Northwestern Sardinia

    One of the largest nuraghic sites in Sardinia, the Nuraghe Santu Antine sits 4km south of Torralba. The complex is focused on a central tower, which now…

  • Basilica di San Gavino

    Basilica di San Gavino

    Northwestern Sardinia

    Porto Torres' modern, workaday streets provide the unlikely setting for Sardinia’s largest Romanesque church. Built between 1030 and 1080, the basilica is…

  • Roccia dell'Elefante, or Elephant rock, on Sardinia.

    Roccia dell'Elefante

    Northwestern Sardinia

    From Castelsardo, the SS134 Sedini road leads to one of the area’s most lovable landmarks, the Roccia dell’Elefante, a bizarre trachyte rock that looks…

  • San Michele dome under a clear sky. Shot in Alghero, Italy; Shutterstock ID 231093382; Your name (First / Last): Anna Tyler; GL account no.: 65050; Netsuite department name: Online Editorial; Full Product or Project name including edition: destination-image-southern-europe

    Chiesa di San Michele

    Alghero

    On Via Carlo Alberto, the carrer major of the medieval town, the 17th-century Chiesa di San Michele is best known for its maiolica-tiled dome. The present…

  • pedestrian area on the ramparts near the Sulis Tower in  Alghero - Sardinia in a sunny day of spring; Shutterstock ID 1098623615; Your name (First / Last): Anna Tyler; GL account no.: 65050; Netsuite department name: Online Editorial; Full Product or Project name including edition: destination-image-southern-europe

    Torre di Sulis

    Alghero

    Dominating Piazza Sulis, this landmark tower was originally known as the Torre de l'Esperó Reial or Torre dello Sperone (Tower of the Royal Spur). Its…

  • Nuraghe di Palmavera

    Northwestern Sardinia

    A few kilometres west of Fertilia on the SS127bis road to Porto Conte, the Nuraghe di Palmavera is a 3500-year-old nuraghic village. At its centre stands…

  • Duomo

    Sassari

    Sassari’s principal cathedral dazzles with its 18th-century baroque facade, a giddy free-for-all of statues, reliefs, friezes and busts. It's all a front,…

  • Dolmen Sa Coveccada

    Northwestern Sardinia

    To the south of Mores, the mighty Dolmen Sa Coveccada is said to be the largest dolmen (a megalithic chambered tomb) in the Mediterranean. Dating to the…

  • Museo della Città

    Sassari

    This museum dedicated to Sassari's history is spread over three sites. Its main seat is Palazzo di Città, where exhibits illustrate the city's urban…

  • Cattedrale di Sant’Antonio Abate

    Northwestern Sardinia

    Announcing the presence of the cathedral is its landmark bell tower, topped by a brightly tiled cupola. The cathedral itself, which sits on a panoramic…

  • Argentiera

    Northwestern Sardinia

    A natural inlet about 11km north of Lago Baratz, the haunting backwater of Argentiera is dominated by the ghostly ruins of its silver mine, once Sardinia…

  • Necropoli di Sant’Andrea Priu

    Northwestern Sardinia

    About 7km east of Bonorva, the Necropoli di Sant’Andrea Priu is an isolated site, immersed in silence and accessible only by a narrow potholed road. It's…

  • Corso Vittorio Emanuele II

    Sassari

    The main drag through the centro storico, Corso Vittorio Emanuele II follows the path of the ancient Roman road from Porto Torres to Cagliari. Little…

  • Piazza Civica

    Alghero

    Just inside Porta a Mare, Piazza Civica is Alghero’s showcase square. In a former life it was the administrative heart of the medieval city, but where…

  • Necropoli di Anghelu Ruju

    Northwestern Sardinia

    Some 10km northwest of Alghero, just off the SP42 to Porto Torres, lie the scattered burial chambers of the Necropoli di Anghelu Ruju. The 38 tombs carved…

  • Chiesa di Santa Maria di Betlem

    Sassari

    With its distinctive dome and proud Romanesque facade, the much-loved Chiesa di Santa Maria di Betlem reveals a curious blend of architectural styles. The…

  • Museo Diocesano d’Arte Sacra

    Alghero

    This museum of religious art, in the former Oratorio del Rosario, houses religious artefacts from the Cattedrale di Santa Maria, including silverware,…

  • Museo della Brigata Sassari

    Sassari

    Sassari is home to one of Italy’s most revered army regiments. The Sassari Brigade was established in 1915 and during WWI established a reputation for…

  • Chiesa di Santa Maria del Regno

    Northwestern Sardinia

    Now a sleepy agricultural town just off the SS729, Ardara was once the capital of the Giudicato di Torres, the medieval state that encompassed much of…

  • Parco di Porto Conte

    Northwestern Sardinia

    Much of the land around Porto Conte is protected as part of the Parco di Porto Conte. This regional nature park, one of only two in Sardinia, covers 60km…

  • Castello

    Northwestern Sardinia

    Lording it over the hilltop centro storico is the medieval Castello, the centrepiece around which the original town was built. Constructed in the 12th…

  • Basilica di San Pietro di Sorres

    Northwestern Sardinia

    This 12th-century Romanesque church commands impressive views from its hillside position overlooking Borutta. The original Pisan church and adjacent abbey…

  • Chiesa di Sant’Antioco di Bisarcio

    Northwestern Sardinia

    Signposted off the main Sassari–Olbia highway, the remote Chiesa di Sant’Antioco di Bisarcio is one of the largest Romanesque churches in Sardinia. Dating…

  • Pinacoteca Nazionale di Sassari

    Sassari

    Housed in a 16th-century Jesuit college, Sassari's municipal art collection boasts more than 400 paintings from the Middle Ages to the 20th century. Of…

  • Sella e Mosca

    Northwestern Sardinia

    Sardinia's top wine producer has been based on this 650-hectare estate since 1899. To learn more about its history and production methods, join the free…

  • Cattedrale di Santa Maria

    Alghero

    Overlooking Piazza Duomo, Alghero’s oversized Cattedrale di Santa Maria appears out of place with its pompous neoclassical facade and fat Doric columns…

  • Museo Domus de Janas

    Northwestern Sardinia

    Head to the small, sleepy town of Sedini to see one of the area's best-known domus de janas (prehistoric tombs). Gouged out of a huge calcareous rock…

  • Chiesa di Nostra Signora di Tergu

    Northwestern Sardinia

    Tergu, a small village 10km or so south of Castelsardo, is home to this fine 12th-century Romanesque church. Built out of wine-red trachyte and white…

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