The Italian Town That Never Stopped Speaking Its Conqueror’s Language

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You step into Alghero’s old town and something feels immediately off. The streets are cobbled and medieval. The towers are Aragonese limestone. The sea glitters at the end of every alley. And then you look at the street signs. Below the Italian, there is another language. Something that looks like Spanish but reads differently. Something ancient.

You are in Italy. But you are also, somehow, in Catalonia.

A City That Was Replaced

In 1353, the Crown of Aragon sent a fleet to conquer Sardinia. When they reached Alghero, they won decisively. But instead of simply occupying the city, they did something radical: they expelled the entire local population.

Thousands of Catalan settlers — from Barcelona, Valencia, and the surrounding territories — were brought in to replace them. Streets and churches were renamed. The language of the market, the piazza, and the home became Catalan.

The Aragonese wanted a loyal city on the western edge of their empire. Alghero, sitting on a rocky peninsula overlooking the Gulf of Asinara, was perfectly placed. They rebuilt its walls, reinforced its towers, and filled it with their own people. The result was a city unlike any other in Italy — and that is still true today.

The Language That Refused to Leave

Sardinia passed through many hands after the Aragonese. The Spanish crown took over. Then the Habsburgs. Then, in the 18th century, the House of Savoy made it part of what would eventually become unified Italy. The official language changed. Most of the island returned to Sardinian dialects or adopted Italian.

But not Alghero.

In the old town, people kept speaking the Catalan their ancestors had brought from the mainland. Generation after generation, the language was passed down at the kitchen table and in the square. Today, a dialect called Algherese — a form of medieval Catalan — is still spoken in the city. Street signs appear in both Italian and Catalan. The Sardinian regional government officially recognises it as a protected minority language.

What makes this remarkable is that Algherese is closer to the Catalan of the 14th century than to the language spoken in Barcelona today. Visitors from Catalonia recognise it, but find it old-fashioned — a window into a version of their language that no one back home has spoken for centuries. Sardinia’s ancient past reaches even further back: the island’s mysterious nuraghi stone towers are reminders of a civilisation that predates even the Romans.

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Walking the Old Town

Alghero’s centro storico sits on a small peninsula that juts into the sea. Its fortified limestone walls were built in the 14th century and remain largely intact. Walk along the top of the walls at sunset and you can see the light dropping over the Gulf of Asinara on one side and the red-tiled rooftops of the city on the other.

The Cattedrale di Santa Maria is the centrepiece of the old town — a blend of Catalan Gothic and Renaissance architecture, built and rebuilt over centuries. It reflects exactly what Alghero is: two cultures pressed together by history, and made into something new. The narrow lanes behind it are lined with restaurants, wine bars, and workshops selling Sardinian coral jewellery, one of the island’s oldest crafts.

The city is small enough to walk entirely in an afternoon, but generous enough that you will want to slow down. For those curious about the broader island, Sardinia is also home to Blue Zone villages where people regularly live past 100 — a world away from the medieval walls of Alghero, but worth a detour.

Eat Like a Catalan-Sardinian

Alghero’s signature dish is aragosta alla catalana — lobster served cold with tomatoes, onion, olive oil, and lemon. The name says everything about the city’s history: Sardinian lobster, dressed in the Catalan tradition of simplicity and freshness.

Local fishermen still bring in lobster from the clear waters off Capo Caccia. In summer, restaurants along the harbour serve it whole, with good bread and cold Vermentino — the dry, slightly herbal white wine of Sardinia. It is one of those combinations that makes you understand why people keep coming back to this island.

Beyond the lobster, the old town has excellent trattorias serving roasted lamb, pecorino sardo, and bottarga — cured fish roe grated over pasta. The cooking is direct, ingredient-driven, and deeply satisfying.

Neptune’s Grotto and the Capo Caccia Cliffs

A few kilometres west of Alghero, the cliffs of Capo Caccia rise dramatically from the sea. Hidden at the base of these cliffs is the Grotta di Nettuno — Neptune’s Grotto. Inside, the cave opens into a vast chamber of stalactites reflected in perfectly still, dark water.

You can reach it by boat from Alghero’s harbour, or on foot via the Escala del Cabirol: 654 steps cut into the sheer cliff face. The name means the staircase of the chamois — because only a mountain goat would take it without a second thought. The walk down is steep and spectacular. The silence inside the cave is absolute.

Go early, before the boats arrive. The grotto is at its most otherworldly in the morning quiet.

Alghero is not on every Italy itinerary. It doesn’t carry the fame of Rome or the glamour of the Amalfi Coast. What it has is rarer: a story that seems impossible until you are standing inside it, hearing a language that crossed the sea 700 years ago and never left. Italy is full of layers. In Alghero, you find one of its deepest.

Frequently Asked Questions About Alghero, Sardinia

When is the best time to visit Alghero, Sardinia?

May, June, and September are ideal. The weather is warm, the sea is swimmable, and the old town is enjoyable without peak-season crowds. July and August are busy and expensive, though evenings on the walls are still magical. April is quiet and mild — perfect if you prefer the city to yourself.

How do you get to Alghero from the UK or mainland Europe?

Alghero has its own airport — Riviera del Corallo Airport — with direct flights from London, Dublin, and several other European cities. It is 12 kilometres from the old town. Ferries from Genoa and Civitavecchia (Rome’s port) serve Sardinia, with the nearest arrival point at Porto Torres, about 35 kilometres from Alghero.

Is Alghero worth visiting for first-time visitors to Sardinia?

Yes. Alghero makes an excellent base for the northwest coast. Neptune’s Grotto, the Nuraghe di Palmavera, and several good beaches are all within easy reach. The city is compact, walkable, and has a distinct character that sets it apart from anywhere else in Italy — or anywhere else in the world.

Do people in Alghero really still speak Catalan?

Yes, though mainly among older residents and in cultural contexts. Algherese — the local Catalan dialect — is used at local festivals, in some church services, and by community organisations dedicated to preserving it. Street signs are bilingual. The language is considered endangered but is actively supported by the Sardinian regional government.

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