Castelsardo ( sdc, Castheddu; sc, Casteddu Sardu) is a town and '' comune'' in Sardinia, Italy, located in the northwest of the island within the Province of Sassari, at the east end of the

Gulf of Asinara The Gulf of Asinara is a sea sector included between the Asinara Island, Cape Falcone and the town of Castelsardo, in northern Sardinia, Italy. The communes facing its coast include also Stintino, Porto Torres, Sassari, Sorso, Valledoria and ...

History

Archaeological excavations have showed the human presence in the area of Castelsardo since pre-

Nuragic The nuraghe (, ; plural: Logudorese Sardinian , Campidanese Sardinian , Italian ), or also nurhag in English, is the main type of ancient megalithic edifice found in Sardinia, developed during the Nuragic Age between 1900 and 730 B.C. To ...

and

times, as well as during the Roman domination in Sardinia. After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, the monastery of

Nostra Signora di Tergu Nostra Signora di Tergu is a parish church in Tergu, province of Sassari, Sardinia, Italy. One of the most outstanding examples of Romanesque architecture in the island, the church and the remains of the annexed abbey are located in a countryside ...

was founded nearby, but the current town originates from the castle built here, in 1102 (or 1270), by the Doria family of Genoa. The castle and the village which gradually formed round it where the seat of the Doria's fiefdom in the island called ''Castel Doria'' or ''Castelgenovese'', until it was conquered by the Aragonese in the 15th century (1448), and named ''Castillo Aragonés'' (''Castel Aragonese''). Except for the

Maddalena archipelago The Maddalena Archipelago is a group of islands in the Strait of Bonifacio between Corsica (France) and Sardinia (Italy). The whole archipelago makes the territory of the ''La Maddalena'' comune in Sardinia. Geography The archipelago consists ...

, it was the last city in the island to join the Kingdom of Sardinia. Castelsardo, was part of the

Savoy Savoy (; frp, Savouè ; french: Savoie ) is a cultural-historical region in the Western Alps. Situated on the cultural boundary between Occitania and Piedmont, the area extends from Lake Geneva in the north to the Dauphiné in the south. Savo ...

's Kingdom of Sardinia, obtained by will of King Charles Emmanuel III.

Main sights

Elephant's Rock The Elephant's Rock is a large boulder of trachyte and andesite, eroded by the atmospheric agents that gave it the shape of an elephant. It is about 4 meters high. The rock is located near Castelsardo, Sardinia, to the left of the old road that ...

, one of the symbols of Sardinia * Megalithic walls, from pre-

times * Nuraghe Paddaju and others * Doria Castle (1102) * Co-Cathedral, entitled to St. Anthony the Abbot. The crypts house the Museum "Maestro di Castelsardo"; * Church of St. Mary, with a wooden Black Christ * Doria Palace * La Loggia Palace, town hall since 1111 * Palace of

Eleonora of Arborea Eleanor of Arborea or Eleanor De Serra Bas ( Sardinian: Elianora de Arbarée / Elianora De Serra Bas, Italian: Eleonora d'Arborea / Eleonora De Serra Bas; 1347— June 1404) was one of the most powerful and important, and one of the last, judges ...

* Sea walls

References

*
CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: Ampurias

Hilltowns in Sardinia Cities and towns in Sardinia Territories of the Republic of Genoa {{Sardinia-geo-stub