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Alghero, Neptune's Grotto, Trinità di Saccárgia, and fortress ruins

Buga: 18.10.2022

This morning we got up early and even skipped the breakfast buffet to make our way to the city of Alghero, which is about two hours away. We actually wanted to visit the city three years ago on a cruise, but we had to stay in Corsica back then because of strong winds. However, because it is supposed to be so beautiful, we took the slightly longer drive to see it.


Sunrise in Palau
Sunrise in Palau


On the way, we got stuck in traffic because driving through construction sites and merging in zipper fashion works even worse in Italy than in Germany.


View from Capo Caccia
View from Capo Caccia


But first, we drove past Alghero and headed towards Capo Caccia.


Path to Grotta di Nettuno
Path to Grotta di Nettuno

There, after 654 steps, we found the Grotta di Nettuno, an impressive stalactite cave.


Grotta di Nettuno
Grotta di Nettuno


There is a guided tour here every hour. It can be quite crowded in summer. But when we arrived, there was no one else in line and we were the only visitors on our 10 o'clock tour.


Grotta di Nettuno
Grotta di Nettuno


We were even lucky that our guide spoke very good German, so we got a private tour in our own language.


Grotta di Nettuno
Grotta di Nettuno


With only two people, we had plenty of time to marvel and take pictures. We had seen that up to 200 tickets can be reserved for each tour...


Grotta di Nettuno
Grotta di Nettuno


As we started our ascent, we encountered a whole group of French people coming for the next tour.


Grotta di Nettuno
Grotta di Nettuno


Now we continued to Alghero, where we parked at the harbor and then went to the old town.


Alghero
Alghero

The walls and bastions of the old town were built by the Catalans in the 14th century. Catalan is still spoken in Alghero today, and the street signs are also in two languages.


Alghero
Alghero


We explored the old town with its small alleyways and arched doorways.


Alghero
Alghero


Then we walked outside the fortress walls around the old town, overlooking the sea.


Alghero
Alghero

After spending some time in the beautiful city, we drove back towards Palau.


Alghero
Alghero


But along the way, we made two more stops: First, we stopped at the church of Santissima Trinità di Saccárgia.


Trinità di Saccárgia
Trinità di Saccárgia


With its black and white stripes, it is a landmark of Sardinia.


Trinità di Saccárgia
Trinità di Saccárgia


It stands next to the highway, surrounded by meadows.


Trinità di Saccárgia
Trinità di Saccárgia


There used to be a monastery next to the church, but today only some ruins are left.


Trinità di Saccárgia
Trinità di Saccárgia

Since we still had some time, we wanted to make another stop in Chiaramonti, where we had discovered an old castle ruin on Google Maps.


View of Castello dei Doria
View of Castello dei Doria


Unfortunately, Google lost track of us during the approach and we ended up in one of the streets that were way too narrow, so we had to reverse back out.


Chiaramonti - Road to Castello dei Doria
Chiaramonti - Road to Castello dei Doria

With a lot of effort and adrenaline, we managed to get back to the main road (without any scratches) and decided to park at the large parking lot near the swimming pool, from where we started the steep climb to the fortress on foot.


Castello dei Doria
Castello dei Doria


The 'Castello dei Doria' was built in the 14th century by the Genoese noble family Doria when they were involved in the war for supremacy in this area.


Castello dei Dora
Castello dei Dora


Today, only remnants of the former church remain.


Castello dei Doria
Castello dei Doria


However, a small park with benches and a beautiful view has been created on the former fortress grounds.


View from Castello dei Doria
View from Castello dei Doria


After the visit and a short break, we drove back to Palau.

Amsa

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#sardinien, italien, alghero, tropfsteinhöhle