Alghero, Sardinia, Italy

Day 1

• Catalan old town and ramparts

  Catalan-Gothic alleys enclosed by Spanish towers and walls, with the Marco Polo and Cristoforo Colombo ramparts walk suspended between sea and palazzi. At sunset the ramparts become one collective aperitivo with Capo Caccia views: the quintessential Alghero ritual.

• Cathedral of Santa Maria and its bell tower

  The 16th-century cathedral blends Catalan Gothic and Renaissance; the octagonal bell tower, climbable on summer guided visits, gives the best view over the rooftops of Sardinia's little Barcelona.

• Neptune's Grotto

  One of Italy's most celebrated sea caves, at the foot of the Capo Caccia cliff: inner lakes, columns and floodlit halls. Entry €14 (reduced €10); reach it by boat from Alghero's port or down the 654 steps of the Escala del Cabirol — for the descent on foot, booking a slot on Alghero Experience is mandatory.

Day 2

• Capo Caccia and the belvedere

  The signature headland of the Coral Riviera: white cliffs of 180-200 metres, the Foradada island offshore and griffon vultures riding the thermals. The lighthouse forecourt is closed to cars: park at La Stalla and continue by shuttle or on foot.

• Le Bombarde and Lazzaretto

  The two best-loved beaches ten minutes from town: pale sand, a turquoise shelving seabed and pinewoods behind. Le Bombarde is livelier, the Lazzaretto wilder with its Spanish tower. In August arrive by 9.

• Lobster 'a la catalana' and bogamarì

  The flagship dish: lobster with tomato and tangy onion, a Catalan inheritance. In winter the town goes wild for bogamarì (sea urchin), celebrated with its own festival. The trattorias in the alleys beat the seafront restaurants.

Day 1

• Porto Conte park and Le Prigionette✦ hidden gem

  The Romans' 'Bay of the Nymphs': Mediterranean forest, trails and the Le Prigionette reserve, home to Giara ponies, fallow deer and the white donkeys of Asinara. By bike or on foot, with lookouts over the bay: Alghero's nature beyond the beaches.

• Maria Pia and Mugoni✦ hidden gem

  Maria Pia is the 'home' beach: dunes, centuries-old junipers and kilometres of sand reachable by bike from the centre. Mugoni, inside the Porto Conte bay, has ever-calm water: perfect with children and on mistral days.

• Nuraghe Palmavera✦ hidden gem

  A 3,000-year-old Nuragic village on the road to Porto Conte: limestone central tower, the meeting hut with its miniature nuraghe model and dozens of huts. The perfect introduction to the civilisation that left Sardinia 7,000 towers.

Day 2

• Anghelu Ruju necropolis✦ hidden gem

  Northern Sardinia's largest rock-cut necropolis: 38 'domus de janas' (fairy houses) dug into the rock 5,000 years ago, with carved bull symbols. Ten minutes from town, almost always deserted: pure prehistory.

• Coral Museum and goldsmiths' workshops✦ hidden gem

  In an Art Nouveau villa, the museum tells the story of Alghero's 'red gold': the biology, fishing and jewellery of corallium rubrum. Then in the historic workshops of the old town you can watch certified coral being worked — beware the imitations in souvenir shops.

Day 1

• Lobster 'a la catalana' and bogamarì

  The flagship dish: lobster with tomato and tangy onion, a Catalan inheritance. In winter the town goes wild for bogamarì (sea urchin), celebrated with its own festival. The trattorias in the alleys beat the seafront restaurants.

• Torbato and vermentino from the Alghero vineyards✦ hidden gem

  Alghero has its own DOC and an almost exclusive grape, torbato, grown in the historic vineyards at the town's edge: wineries open for tastings among the rows. The perfect white for the lobster.

• Menjar blanc and Catalan sweets✦ hidden gem

  Menjar blanc — a milk, lemon and cinnamon cream in a pastry shell — comes straight from medieval Catalan cooking and survives only here and in a few pastry shops. With seadas and formaggelle it completes Alghero's dessert canon.