Ancient stone bastion walls extend into the sea. For centuries they protected a Catalan enclave in the land of Sardinia: Alghero. A cultural, natural, and archaeological island, Alghero is also a first rate tourist destination: excellently served by the airport, and conveniently close to Porto Torres, the port of arrival for the ferries from Italy and France. Its coast is known as the Riviera del Corallo (the Coral Riviera), and meets all the expectations its name implies: the 75 kilometres of coastline are contained between the calcareous mass of Capo Caccia, and the beach of Poglina where soft sand dunes alternate with cliffs dropping sheer down to the sea, solitary bays, jagged overhangs and incredibly beautiful underwater caves.