Sardegna (Sardinia) ~ 8th to 15th June 2008

The Cathedral in Alghero ~ The Cathedral of St. Mary. Begun in 1570, it was opened in 1593 but finished and consecrated only in 1730. The church original was is in Catalan-Gothic style, as it can be seen in the five chapels of the presbytery, which also include the base of the bell tower. The nave and the two aisles are instead in Late Renaissance style. In the 20th century a Neo-Classicist narthex was added to the façade, changing abruptly its appearance.

Sardegna (Sardinia) ~ 8th to 15th June 2008

12-6-2008 ~ Today Enrico was working, so we drove first (through atrocious weather ~ heavy rain and wind) to Codrongianos in northern Sardinia to see the Basilica della Santissima Trinità di Saccargia (English: "Basilica of the Holy Trinity of Saccargia") is a church in the comune of Codrongianos, northern Sardinia, Italy. It is the most important Romanesque site in the island. The construction is entirely in local stone (black basalt and white limestone), with a typical appearance of Tuscan Romanesque style.

The church was finished in 1116 over the ruins of a pre-existing monastery, and consecrated on October 5 of the same year. Its construction was ordered by the giudice (duke) of Torres. It was entrusted to Camaldolese monks who here founded an abbey. It was later enlarged in Pisane style, including the addition of the tall bell tower. The portico on the façade is also probably a late addition, and is attributed to workers from Lucca.The church was abandoned in the 16th century, until it was restored and reopened in the early 20th century.

After travelling over flood damaged roads, we motored on to Alghero, a town of about 42,000 inhabitants (down from 54,300 inhabitants since early 20th century). It lies in the province of Sassari in north-western Sardinia. The area of today's Alghero was settled since pre-historical times. The so-called Ozieri culture was present here in the 4th millennium BCE while the nuraghe civilization was present from around 1500 BC for, and traces of Phoenician buildings have been found not far from the city.

Alghero was founded around 1102 by the Genoese Doria family, as a fortified port. The Doria ruled it for centuries, apart from a brief period under the rule of Pisa (1283-1284). In 1353 it was captured by the Aragonese under Bernardo de Cabrera, and could later grow thanks to the arrival of Catalan colonists: in the early 16th century Alghero received the status of King's City (ciutat de l'Alguer) and developed economically.

The Catalano-Aragonese were followed by Habsburg Spain, whose dominion, ended in 1702, brought some decadence to the city. In 1720 Alghero and Sardinia were handed over to Piedmont. Around 1750 a wide channel was excavated to improve the defensive stand of the peninsula. In 1821 famine led to a revolt of the population, which was bloodily suppressed. At the end of the same century Alghero was de-militarized and, during the Fascist era, part of the surrounding marshes was reclaimed and the suburbs of Fertilia and S.M. La Palma were founded, although the presence of malaria in the countryside could be overcome only in the 1950s. During World War II (1943) Alghero was bombed, its historical center suffering heavy damage.