Castelsardo is a very picturesque little town on the north coast of Sardinia and worth an overnight stop if convenient in your travels, or a least a short visit on your way to other destinations. For us, we stopped here overnight on our way to the magnificent beach at La Pelosa (near Stintino, on the very northwest tip of Sardinia) and then on to Alghero.

Castello dei Doria

The 13th century castle at the top of the hill in Castelsardo is named after the Genoese family who was entrusted with its care. It is open to visitors and there are a few rooms you can visit with various displays, including the Museum of Mediterranean Interweaving.

Street Wandering

As with any small European town, it is fun to just wander the narrow, steep streets. Our hotel was on one of these little streets. There was plenty of car parking outside the old town on the sea side of Castelsardo.

Elephant Rock

Just off a road leading into Castelsardo from the east is this interesting volcanic rock formation, aptly named “Elephant Rock”. What is even more interesting is that within this rock there are two pre-nuragic tombs, dating to a time before Sardinia’s Nuraghe were built, likely 5,000 or more years ago. We just pulled off the side of the road to take a look.