Alghero & Capo Caccia, Sardinia
Dawn broke as we approached the northwest coast of Sardinia and despite the early hour, the decks were full of intrepid photographers hoping to catch that perfect shot of the first rays of autumn sun hitting the towering limestone cliffs of Cap Caccia. We slowly approached our anchorage off the old walled city of Alghero, under the watchful eye of the long deserted Catalan signal towers that stood atop each headland of the bay. Our visit to Sardinia seemed to be laid out chronologically, as we started with a visit to the Nuraghe Palmavera, an imposing twin-towered megalithic structure complete with hidden staircases and secret rooms. This was just one of 7,000 remaining tower structures built by the mysterious Late Bronze Age inhabitants of the island. As we walked around the fortified village comprised of round stone huts and a large ritual meeting house, our guides told us that these structures are symbols of the island’s early period of independence, when the Sards fiercely resisted foreign invaders. Possession of the island’s rich mineral and agricultural resources resulted in long periods of occupation and at times brutal subjugation by the Phoenicians, Romans, Moors, Genoese, Catalans, and Spanish. The last rulers were the Dukes of Savoy who in 1718, during the War of the Spanish Succession were given Sardinia in exchange for Sicily. Each of these cultures has enriched the architecture, customs and language of the island.
After a walking tour of the Alghero, we lunched aboard on freshly grilled Sardinian sardines and then spent the afternoon kayaking or taking Zodiac tours around the cliffs of Capo Caccia. Our late afternoon adventure consisted of ‘jumping’ aboard the Neptune I for a walking tour amongst the stalagmites and stalactites of Neptune’s Grotto. After returning to the National Geographic Endeavour, watching the sunset from the pool deck with a drink in hand seemed the perfect ending to a magical day.
Dawn broke as we approached the northwest coast of Sardinia and despite the early hour, the decks were full of intrepid photographers hoping to catch that perfect shot of the first rays of autumn sun hitting the towering limestone cliffs of Cap Caccia. We slowly approached our anchorage off the old walled city of Alghero, under the watchful eye of the long deserted Catalan signal towers that stood atop each headland of the bay. Our visit to Sardinia seemed to be laid out chronologically, as we started with a visit to the Nuraghe Palmavera, an imposing twin-towered megalithic structure complete with hidden staircases and secret rooms. This was just one of 7,000 remaining tower structures built by the mysterious Late Bronze Age inhabitants of the island. As we walked around the fortified village comprised of round stone huts and a large ritual meeting house, our guides told us that these structures are symbols of the island’s early period of independence, when the Sards fiercely resisted foreign invaders. Possession of the island’s rich mineral and agricultural resources resulted in long periods of occupation and at times brutal subjugation by the Phoenicians, Romans, Moors, Genoese, Catalans, and Spanish. The last rulers were the Dukes of Savoy who in 1718, during the War of the Spanish Succession were given Sardinia in exchange for Sicily. Each of these cultures has enriched the architecture, customs and language of the island.
After a walking tour of the Alghero, we lunched aboard on freshly grilled Sardinian sardines and then spent the afternoon kayaking or taking Zodiac tours around the cliffs of Capo Caccia. Our late afternoon adventure consisted of ‘jumping’ aboard the Neptune I for a walking tour amongst the stalagmites and stalactites of Neptune’s Grotto. After returning to the National Geographic Endeavour, watching the sunset from the pool deck with a drink in hand seemed the perfect ending to a magical day.
