Visiting Alghero, Sardinia

We drive over to historic Alghero, on the opposite (western) coast of Sardinia from Olbia.  The drive is a little over 1.5 hours through the center of Sardinia, which is surprisingly dry.

We reach Alghero and park in a lot across from the harbor.  As we walk along the harbor, we see carnival rides, snack stands, the marina, and boat tours to the caverns (which we hear are great, but we won't get there this trip).  The walls of the car-free old town are imposing and get even more so as we head in that direction to see what's inside.

At the harbor:  we approach the old town wall

We enter the old town and wander through the maze of lanes and piazzas.  The old town is on the edge of the Mediterranean, with massive walls to guard against threats from the sea.  Now it is packed with bars, cafes, restaurants, shops, and tourists, one of the most popular locations for tourists to visit in Sardinia.

 Walls and gate of the old town

 Streets of the old town

We leave the old town through the western gate out the onto the sea wall outside.  No longer intended to repel threats from the sea, it now features restaurants and residences with great views.

 Along the sea wall

For lunch, we find a spot with comfortable seating, great views (not hard to come by), and an interesting menu.  We're thinking pizza and start with panini with pancetta, tuna fish, olives, tomatoes, rocket, mayonnaise and egg, followed by a sausage pizza and a marguerite pizza and wine from a winery that has been making wine in Sardinia since 1899.

 View of the marina from lunch

 Pizza, remnants of panini (it disappears really fast!)

After lunch, we stroll back along the harbor to our car and return to Olbia, although some of the other destinations in the directional marker sound pretty good!  And, a great idea for a lemonade stand.

 Directions from old town

Lemonade anyone?