Mura e Bastioni di Alghero

Alghero's seafront walls and bastions preserve much of the city's historic fortifications and its Catalan-Aragonese character.

Why it matters

The ramparts record successive phases of Alghero's military history, from medieval Genoese defences to the artillery works of the Spanish period. Their survival along the seafront gives the old town a distinctive fortified outline.

What to notice

The circuit includes historic towers such as Torre di San Giovanni, Torre dello Sperone, Torre di San Giacomo and Torre di Sant'Elmo, as well as the bastions named for navigators. The masonry and bastion forms show the transition from medieval walls to gunpowder-era fortification.

Context and history

The Doria family built the first circuit in the thirteenth century. After Aragonese control began in 1354, the walls were repaired and later adapted to artillery, with major works in the sixteenth century. Under the Savoy, the defences were modernised again. In 1867 the fortifications were decommissioned; some structures were dismantled or altered as the city expanded.