Alghero, Sardinia
During the evening the National Geographic Endeavour took us southward from Corsica to the island of Sardinia. It is Italian soil today, but it has had a long history of occupation and allegiance – mostly forced – to a progression of Mediterranean powers: Roman, Arabs, Genoese of the House of Doria, Catalon (the House of Aragon), and Hapsburg Spain. Each has left its mark on the landscape, language and architecture, but the people remain fiercely independent and proud of their distinct identity as Sardinians. At dawn we were off a huge massif of pinkish limestone that is Capo Caccia, rising 185 meters above the sea and topped by a lighthouse that points the way to the harbor of Alghero; its light can be seen far at sea. Our fleet of Zodiacs carried us through the breakwater and into the harbor, past row after row of luxury yachts owned by mainlanders who fly to the island for a weekend of sailing.
Alghero was established as a fortified city by the House of Doria around 1100 AD. They held it until they were defeated by the Kingdom of Aragon in 1353. Occupants who declined to swear allegiance were evicted and replaced by Catalan colonists, who left behind their language and distinctive Gothic-Catalan architecture. The Old City is surrounded by thick, fortified walls and ramparts, interrupted by fortified towers and an imposing gatehouse and drawbridge. The drawbridge was lowered each evening until the 1880s. Led by our local guides, we wandered through the Old City’s narrow stone streets that connect tiny piazzas (squares).
Our afternoon took us into the surrounding countryside, through forests of pine, to reach the Nuraghe de Palmavera. A Nuraghe is a conical tower built with huge rectangular blocks of stone and usually located to give a panoramic view of the surroundings. This tower was built in two stages, the earlier of sandstone and the later of limestone. It is surrounded by a village of around fifty circular huts built of smaller stones. Construction of this complex by ancient Sardinians probably began around 1,500 BC, in the Bronze Age. Since the people left no written record we can only surmise about their lives. It is probable that the tower served a defensive function, with different Nuraghe villages banding together to resist a common enemy or turning against each other when there was no common enemy. The low entrance into the interior of the tower would be easily defended against intruders, and food and water stored within would allow the occupants to withstand a lengthy siege.
Our final stop was back at Capo Caccia, but this time looking down from the peak for a panoramic view of the bay and surrounding countryside.
During the evening the National Geographic Endeavour took us southward from Corsica to the island of Sardinia. It is Italian soil today, but it has had a long history of occupation and allegiance – mostly forced – to a progression of Mediterranean powers: Roman, Arabs, Genoese of the House of Doria, Catalon (the House of Aragon), and Hapsburg Spain. Each has left its mark on the landscape, language and architecture, but the people remain fiercely independent and proud of their distinct identity as Sardinians. At dawn we were off a huge massif of pinkish limestone that is Capo Caccia, rising 185 meters above the sea and topped by a lighthouse that points the way to the harbor of Alghero; its light can be seen far at sea. Our fleet of Zodiacs carried us through the breakwater and into the harbor, past row after row of luxury yachts owned by mainlanders who fly to the island for a weekend of sailing.
Alghero was established as a fortified city by the House of Doria around 1100 AD. They held it until they were defeated by the Kingdom of Aragon in 1353. Occupants who declined to swear allegiance were evicted and replaced by Catalan colonists, who left behind their language and distinctive Gothic-Catalan architecture. The Old City is surrounded by thick, fortified walls and ramparts, interrupted by fortified towers and an imposing gatehouse and drawbridge. The drawbridge was lowered each evening until the 1880s. Led by our local guides, we wandered through the Old City’s narrow stone streets that connect tiny piazzas (squares).
Our afternoon took us into the surrounding countryside, through forests of pine, to reach the Nuraghe de Palmavera. A Nuraghe is a conical tower built with huge rectangular blocks of stone and usually located to give a panoramic view of the surroundings. This tower was built in two stages, the earlier of sandstone and the later of limestone. It is surrounded by a village of around fifty circular huts built of smaller stones. Construction of this complex by ancient Sardinians probably began around 1,500 BC, in the Bronze Age. Since the people left no written record we can only surmise about their lives. It is probable that the tower served a defensive function, with different Nuraghe villages banding together to resist a common enemy or turning against each other when there was no common enemy. The low entrance into the interior of the tower would be easily defended against intruders, and food and water stored within would allow the occupants to withstand a lengthy siege.
Our final stop was back at Capo Caccia, but this time looking down from the peak for a panoramic view of the bay and surrounding countryside.
