What can I say about the beautiful Italian island town of Alghero? I will admit, upon walking around at first sight – we didn’t feel like we were in Italy. It almost felt like a mish-mash of Spain, Italy and Morocco. Colorful facades, an almost derelict elegance – all complete with beautiful sea views from any given angle. I instantly loved this ancient fishing town that is only a 40 minute Ryanair flight from Pisa.

This town has a Catalonian feel – not by coincidence of course, it was taken over by the House of Aragon in the 1300’s to be renamed ‘Barcelonetta’. It remained under their control until the 1700’s when the powerful Italian Savoy family took over. Fortified walls line the sea along with huge catapults located at various corners to scare away invaders from the sea. The owner of the B&B we stayed at told us that many Sardinians are/were scared of the sea and don’t know how to swim which dates back from dangers always lurking from the water.

 Alghero is known for their local cuisine, which still retains a Catalan influence and very seafood based {naturally}. In fact, I was very very excited to eat my way through the city as you can imagine from this fervant foodie! Wandering the old town is a real treat. Imagine beautiful, small streets with cobblestones and tons of stories catering to summer tourism. Full of red coral and Sardinian flags and local alcohol Mirto.

We had several very good meals in the city. At every table was special paper-thin, crispy bread called Carasau. It doesn’t have a lot of flavor but it is absolutely addictive. We always drank a simple Vermentino di Sardinia – a dry, cool white wine locally produced and if you are a fan or white wine – you will appreciate this vino.

Easy to drink and went perfectly with all of the yummy seafood dishes we tried. Our first meal, I got a shrimp and veggie tempura accompanied with a soy ginger dip. Perfectly coated and crispy and I finished the meal with one of the best desserts in my life – Seadas. Fried dough filled with pecorino cheese and covered in honey. I was in absolute love with this dish. This is the kind of food that brought me back to my childhood days of asking for fried Mexican puff pastry filled with honey, sopaipillas.

Seadas – will you marry me?

The first night of our trip we stayed at this amazing Hotel on the waterfront – luxury at its finest. The other two nights we stayed at a B&B with views overlooking the water that Frenchy found :-). Awesome prices, 65 euros – 85 depending on the size of the room, homemade breakfast overlooking the water and a really great, charming feel. It was an absolute perfect place to stay, the only downside was the noise at night with the windows open. Since I’m half deaf – no biggie, though I do remember hearing a singing trio of the latest musical favorites, a fight and perhaps some wine bottles being broken in mass. Just another Saturday night?

We had a pre-dinner aperitivo at the port of Alghero which is very pretty. All sorts of boats (including the ones that take you to Capocaccia – which I will write about in a later post) line the waterfront. Watching the sunset while sipping a margarita is just about the perfect way to wind down your first vacation day. We also came back for a drink at a moveable ‘lemon bar’ in the shape of you guessed it – a lemon. Classy! 

Night in Alghero? While I wouldn’t tout this as being a city known for its raging nightlife. We spent most nights eating dinner fairly late and wandering around the center popping into various shops to browse all the things that we couldn’t fit into our Ryanair carryon luggage. Our last meal was probably the best one we had the entire time (except for that delicious honey dessert mentioned earlier) in a very romantic location. The waiter {and most people we spoke with in town} was super nice and helped us pick the dishes he thought we would like.

Despite all the warnings we got about going during Ferragosto – I am actually really happy that we did. There was a really fun lively atmosphere and plus we got to check out an awesome display of fireworks after dinner the night of the 15th in the town center. I didn’t really know what to expect but its safe to say this city far exceeded my expectations. Ti amo Alghero. 

Coming soon – posts about visiting Capocaccia and Neptune’s Grotto, Stintino and the most beautiful beach in the world. Also a visit to a prison-island full of Albino donkeys {no joke}. 

Restaurants we loved in Alghero

• Angedras (with the famous Seadas dessert and tempura). Bastioni Marco Polo n. 41 Alghero / Via Cavour n. 31 | 07041 Alghero (SS) – Sardinia (Italy). Tel (+39) 079 9735078  Fax (+39) 079 974928   |  [email protected]
• La Sartoria del Gusto. Alghero Piazza Duomo, 3. Telefono 079 974475

Our Accomodation in Alghero

• Luxury: Villa Las Tronas Hotel & Spa. Address: Lungomare Valencia, 1, 07041 Alghero Province of Sassari, Italy. Phone:+39 079 981818
• Budget: B&B Nau, via Carlo Alberto 127, Alghero (historical center).

Also if you want to know the inside scoop of Sardinia – Check out this awesome Canadian blogger author of My Sardinian Life. She is truly a local expert and a pretty cool chick in general! I also highly recommend hooking up with the instagrammers from the island, they take pictures that make me want to scour the internet and find a flight back to beautiful Alghero!