After spending a week in Alghero it is definitely time to move on. The last few days have been spent - waking up late, going for a walk and maybe a swim for a few hours, lunch (generally focaccia with some sort of meat and cheese), siesta during the afternoon, apéritif at 6, dinner at 7 then a Netflix or Clarkson's Farm then bed. So as much as I enjoyed the routine it was time to explore more of this amazing island. So today I made my way to Castelsardo, or more accurately to a little village west called Lu Bagnu. But on the way I detoured to the Church of the Holy Trinity which is a 12th century basilica located south east of Sassari. It is built on top of the ruins of an ancient monastery. The church was completed in 1116. What makes it interesting is that it is made of local stone with alternating layers of black basalt and white limestone. Inside there are some elaborate Romanesque frescoes.
From there I made my way to Sassari. My initial reaction was it was a pretty ordinary university town. The old town centre had a lot of traffic so wasn't all that attractive, BUT, 3 hours of walking later I had changed my mind. The Duomo has an amazing facade of statues, friezes and busts but inside it's all gothic, so I'm told because it cost 3E to go in. Sassari’s largest piazza is one of Sardinia’s most impressive public spaces. Covering about a hectare, it is surrounded by imposing 19th-century buildings, including the neoclassical Palazzo della Provincia, seat of the provincial government and, opposite, the neo-Gothic Palazzo Giordano, now home to the Banca Intesa SanPaolo. Presiding over everything is a statue of King Vittorio Emanuele II. The statue was unveiled in 1899 to much pomp and costumed celebration, in anticipation of the grand event that would become a huge festival, the Cavalcata Sarda. which happened to be on last Sunday! Anyhow I am glad I visited Sassari, from there it was another pretty beachside drive with a few stops to my accomodation.
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