From Sassari, you can easily get to Alghero (and back) on the train. But it's not a Trenitalia train. It's an ARST train... So you buy your tickets from the little sundries stall at the station (not the ticket counter); and you don't validate them in the usual validator but by means of handing them to the man as you get on; and you travel on a narrow-gauge railway, as opposed to a standard-gauge one.

It sounds complicated, but it's not really...





The countryside you travel through is not dramatic, but it's very pretty. First, there's a modest bit of gorge. Then you're into more open country, with distant mountains flanking vast tracts of scrub or olive grove:



Alghero is distinctive in Sardinia because of its Catalan heritage. A variant of the Catalan language, called Algherese, is still spoken here; and the architecture has Catalan characteristics (not that it's easy for the amateur to figure out what these are).

It has the kind of history that we've come to recognize from our time in Corsica. When the Genoese Doria family fortified the settlement in 1102, they seemed to create a place to fight over. The Republic of Pisa took over briefly in 1283, but it reverted to Genoa in 1284. A few decades later, in 1353, King Peter IV of Aragon turned up with 90 galleys. There was a siege. The original occupants were expelled, and it was settled by Iberians. After that, the fortification proved too good to give up, so the walls were assiduously maintained, and the inhabitants rigourously controlled. Access for Sardinians and foreigners was regulated, and non-Catalans were not allowed to stay overnight: "The city increasingly become an island of Catalonia, within the island of Sardinia." Alghero's Catalan period lasted from the 14th to the 18th centuries.

Why did we make two trips? Well, it's a good 30 minutes' walk from the railway station to the old town, and on Monday, by the time we'd got all enthusiastic about being by the sea again, and spent ages in the Cathedral of St Mary the Immaculate, and had a really nice lunch, our time was pretty much up...















So today, feeling we hadn't quite done it all justice, we went back for some more. More of the sea and the old town, of course...







But also, more specifically, we were looking for additional glimpses of that Catalan heritage:




That last one needs a bit more of a note, and I quote: "Pino Piras was the most original and brilliant contemporary interpreter of the truest Alghereseness, which ... he was able to transfer to his vast range of songs, poems, and theatrical productions... His poetic philosophy can be summed up in a quote that he translated into Algherese, and wrote on the first page of his notebook: 'La felicita es la dolor que riu'." Happiness is pain laughing... Such an apt reflection of our broken world... And for some photos of Alghero, old and new, plus a lilting song by Piras, see here.

We were also seeking Menjar Blanc... According to the website of Bon Bons, the shop where we bought ours: "Menjar Blanc has its origins in the medieval period, and was introduced to Sardinia during the Catalan domination of the island... The term 'menjar blanc' comes from Catalan, and literally means to 'eat white', a reference to its characteristic smooth and velvety consistency."

So it's like a white custard, made of milk, sugar, starch, and lemon zest, and I've seen pictures of it served just like that, as a pudding. But it also comes in the form of pies, large or small, and this is the version we checked out. The incredibly delicate, crispy pastry case is made with the finest grade of flour, plus semolina, lard, sugar, and water. There's a recipe on that same webpage, but it sounds like the sort of thing I'd never have the patience to make for myself. Anyway, they were delicious. Eat them by the sea, for best results...




So, two good days out. Alghero is a place I'd probably not want to be in the summer. But at this time of year, it's a great locality to explore, full of interesting bits and pieces.