Alghero was the destination for our last week of sailing, starting with a night on anchor in a nearby bay. Two of our crew were leaving the boat the following day so this was their last chance for a swim in the beautiful, clear turquoise water that we’d enjoyed all around Sardinia. From the boat we could see a few large resorts and Spaggia le Bombarde, a long sandy beach packed with people swimming, playing or sitting under brightly coloured umbrellas. 

Our marina in Alghero, located beneath the ancient city walls, gave us easy access to the old town. From our anchorage we’d seen a large ferris wheel dominating the skyline. Now it was in full view not far from the harbour. That night after a farewell dinner with our departing crew, we wandered about the old cobblestoned streets. By then, they were filled with people out for dinner and to shop. Like many old town centres in Europe, the streets are lined with restaurants, bars, gelaterias and souvenir shops. Alghero is famous for the red coral found in the water around the harbour and is featured in many jewellery shops. The city is also known as little Barcelona, as almost a quarter of its inhabitants speak a local dialect of the Catalan language. The Catalans began inhabiting the city in the mid-1300s, when Sardinia belonged to the Crown of Aragon and continued to do for the next 400 years. As a result, the city still has a strong Spanish influence, which is also evident in the architecture and food.

Our final anchorage was in a large bay adjacent to Porto Conte and a short sail from Alghero. As we motored towards it, we saw many small motorboats heading in the same direction. We then spotted a black helicopter circling above us before lifting a large crate from the water. There appeared to be a giant wine bottle sitting on the water. A quick online search revealed that it was Akenta Day, when sparkling wine that has been aged for months on the seabed, is lifted from the water.  There were many boats surrounding the site and guests celebrate with lunch, music and a toast with Akenta wine. This year for the first time, there was an evening parade through the old town. We were sorry to be missing it but we didn’t have time to backtrack.

The huge bay that was to our home for the next two nights was perfect.  It had an ancient stone tower and lighthouse near the entrance and there were just a handful of boats to share it with. There was also a small marina near the beach which meant we could take the dinghy to shore … a rare occurrence in Sardinia. That evening we walked to the town’s only restaurant and were welcomed by the owner who was dressed as a pirate! We were also surprised to see a DJ, playing some cool jazz music. It was all a bit surreal but had a nice vibe and the food was good. I ordered Seada for the second time on this trip. Seada is a delicious Sardinian dessert, made with semolina pastry and filled with pecorino cheese and lemon peel. It is then deep fried and served with honey syrup

Following a day of swimming, kayaking and relaxing on the boat we ventured over to the same restaurant the following night.

We were reluctant to leave our beautiful bay, but with only a few days left we needed to prepare our boat to be lifted from the water. For these last few days, we berthed in a marina at the other end of the harbour and close to the beach. That night we walked back to the old town to celebrate my birthday over dinner and to do some more sightseeing. The days were getting very hot so it was nice to wander about in the cool night air. 

Early the next morning Robyn and I returned to visit the late-gothic Cathedral. Dating back to the 16thcentury, it has a tall bell tower that can be seen across the old town. Inside, the presbytery is surrounded by a dark -red and white marble balustrade, and at the sides of the stairs leading up to it are two marble lions. The high altar, also made with marble, is stunning!

Our walk to dinner that evening took us along a wide promenade that runs behind the beach. There were so many people, all out enjoying the cooler air, sometimes stopping to chat with friends or enjoying a drink at one of the busy beach bars. It was the perfect place to watch the sun set while we enjoyed our dinner.

Fertilia is a small town, a few kilometres from Alghero and where we are storing our boat until next year. We’d spent our last few days in Alghero packing, cleaning and preparing for the lift out. After arriving in Fertilia, we moved our belongings off the boat and into accommodation in the town, including sheets, towels and clothes that we’d be washing, drying and packing away until next year.

The town has only a small supermarket, pharmacy and bank, but no less than six café/restaurants, all near-full for lunch and dinner each day. We wondered how such a small town could support so many restaurants as there didn’t appear to be many tourists. Fertilia was built in the 1930’s and settled by immigrants from north east Italy as well as Istrian and Dalmatian exiles following the Second World War. It has some interesting buildings from that period including the church and an art deco school. The church has a beautiful design on the high altar, made in 1939 by a well known Sardinian artist.

After two busy days of preparing Izabela for storage we headed to Milan, our final Italian destination before flying home. 

This is my first visit to Sardinia but will definitely not be my last. It is a stunningly beautiful island surrounded by long sandy beaches and spectacular rocky cliffs. The cities and towns are vibrant, the food and coffee reliably good, and the people friendly and welcoming. While I enjoyed every part of Sardinia, I especially loved the cities and towns on the west coast, from Carloforte down south, to Bosa and Alghero to the north. The west coast also has some spectacular anchorages that aren’t dominated by the huge cruise boats we encountered on the east side of the island.

This will be my final post for this trip. Thank you for your thoughtful and kind comments … both online and in person. Thanks also to the many new and old friends I’ve spent time with on this journey.

A special final thanks to Robyn and Roger, my very good friends and co-owners of Izabela.  We’ve had so many amazing adventures together and I know there’ll be more to come. Until next time … arrivederci!