North Sardinia: Gallura, La Maddalena & Alghero

Olbia is a port city in the Gallura region, known for the Romanesque Basilica San Simplicio from the eleventh century. At the Museo Archeologico on the islet of Peddone, you can view Roman shipwrecks, while the car-free Corso Umberto I leads to the quay. You can find peace in the eighteen-hectare city park Fausto Noce or taste local seafood dishes in the narrow side streets of the historic centre.

Palau is a port town on the northeast coast of Sardinia, known for the 122-meter-high Roccia dell'Orso, a granite rock formation in the shape of a bear. Here you can visit the nineteenth-century Fortezza di Monte Altura, a military defensive work overlooking the La Maddalena Archipelago. Near Porto Faro, a white lighthouse stands by the Tyrrhenian Sea, and sailboats are moored in the town's harbor.

La Maddalena is the main town of an archipelago with over sixty islands off the coast of Sardinia. You reach the town by ferry from Palau and drive along the Strada Panoramica past granite rocks and bays. On the neighboring island of Caprera, connected by a bridge, is the Compendio Garibaldino where Giuseppe Garibaldi lived. The uninhabited islands of Budelli and Spargi are only accessible by boat and are home to the Spiaggia Rosa.

Santa Teresa Gallura is the northernmost town in Sardinia and is located on the Bocche di Bonifacio, the strait that separates the island from Corsica. The central Piazza Vittorio Emanuele forms the heart of the village, while the sixteenth-century Torre di Longonsardo on a rocky plateau offers views over the cliffs of the nearby French island. Right on the edge of the village you will find the white sands of Spiaggia Rena Bianca, and ships depart from the local harbor to the surrounding archipelago.

Castelsardo is a medieval fortified town on a volcanic rock on the Gulf of Asinara. The 12th-century Castello dei Doria dominates the cityscape, and the Cattedrale di Sant'Antonio Abate features a bell tower with colourful majolica tiles. Just outside the town is the Roccia dell'Elefante, a rock shaped like an elephant by erosion. In the alleys, you'll see artisans weaving baskets.

Stintino is a fishing village on the northwestern tip of Sardinia, known for the shallow waters of Spiaggia La Pelosa. From the coast, you can see the sixteenth-century Torre della Pelosa and the islands of Isola Piana and Asinara. You can walk the trails of Capo Falcone or explore the bays by kayak. Access to the protected beach of La Pelosa requires a prior reservation.

Alghero is a city on Sardinia's Coral Riviera where Catalan history is visible in its architecture and local language. The sixteenth-century Bastioni di Alghero surround the center, which features the Gothic Cattedrale di Santa Maria and the Torre di Sulis. Along the coastline, you'll find sandy beaches, and near the 168-meter-high cliffs of Capo Caccia, you can visit the Grotta di Nettuno. In the harbor and old town, you can enjoy seafood dishes.

Bosa is located at the mouth of the Temo, Sardinia's only navigable river, and is dominated by the twelfth-century Castello di Serravalle. You can stroll through the medieval district of Sa Costa with its pastel-coloured houses and see the old tanneries from its industrial past along the quays. On the coast lies Bosa Marina, where you'll find a sandy beach and a sixteenth-century Aragonese watchtower.

Olbia is a port city in the Gallura region, known for the Romanesque Basilica San Simplicio from the eleventh century. At the Museo Archeologico on the islet of Peddone, you can view Roman shipwrecks, while the car-free Corso Umberto I leads to the quay. You can find peace in the eighteen-hectare city park Fausto Noce or taste local seafood dishes in the narrow side streets of the historic centre.