Trips abroad - Bosa

I went on holiday to Italy last week, and now I'm going to tell you all about it. Starting in Bosa, an idyllic town in Sardinia which is exceptionally photogenic.

Bosa's centred on the River Temo, making it pretty unique compared to other towns in Sardinia. Looking down from a viewing point, you'll quickly notice how lush and green the town is, dotted with colourful buildings along the riverside. It's very different in vibe to the other town I visited in Sardinia, Alghero, which felt far more claustrophobic and beige - still lovely, but not as obvious as Bosa.

   

If you're somehow still not convinced by all this, consider the fact that Bosa's considered one of the I Borghi più belli d'Italia, one of only 361 towns in Italy, literally meaning "the most beautiful villages of Italy". It's a small organisation aiming to preserve towns from neglect, but you can't deny it: that's still quite the word of praise for Bosa.

 

Malaspina Castle

The most obvious attraction is probably the local castle, perched on top of a hill you can clearly see when you enter the town. It was built in 1112 by the Malaspina family, who actually built a few castles named after them. They also happened to be responsible for rebuilding Bosa later down the line, making it into the town it is today, if you're curious.

   

You can visit the castle to this day, all it takes is a lengthy hike up the hill and being willing to spend a bit to enter. What you're left with is a pretty walk along the old castle walls, where you can take in Bosa from all angles. There's also a fortification tower you can climb up - all four flights of laddered stairs - where you get a more panoramic view of the town. There's a small exhibit tucked away near the castle you can visit once you get down, with a small cardboard model of the castle, but otherwise there's not much else to do. I suppose there is a church as well, and it's pretty cool, but otherwise that's it.

Not that the hike up to the castle is a waste of time, obviously. It's actually rather pleasant, though it would also be easier if it wasn't 35॰C and you weren't so sweaty heading up. Sometimes it's worth it just taking in all the views around you.

Bosa Cathedral

Bosa's cathedral along the river isn't well-hidden either. It was built in the 12th century, though has been altered and refurbished a few times since. It's worth mentioning that the area around the cathedral is the historic centre of Bosa; the centre shifted towards the hill when the castle was being built.

 

It's a lovely domed structure, with a beautiful inside, as befits all Italian cathedrals. Plenty of frescos line the ceiling, with paintings lining the walls and a few stained-glass windows to boot. Also pleasantly refreshing to go inside for a break to escape the heat. Worth going inside, just to look around for a bit.

 

Those were the major sights I visited in Bosa. There were a few other places, too, but they all tended to have admission fees or didn't seem that interesting to us in particular. I'm sure the Tanneries Museum on the cobblestone high street is worth visiting, for example. 

We spent a while walking along the Temo, taking in the colourful riverside, and also headed down to another viewpoint, this time off the Sardinian motorway. I'm not entirely sure why we went there exactly - the immediate area isn't the prettiest, and I'm not sure if I'm pleased with how my photos turned out. I'm not one to say no to viewpoints, though.

Cane Malu

A short drive down the road took us to Cane Malu. We came in blind, and I was personally just expecting it to be another beach, the kind you'd find literally anywhere. It was therefore an extremely pleasant surprise to get the exact opposite.

   

The area just looks and feels otherworldly. There were a few other people around there, but for the most part, you could take up as much space as you'd want to and no one would intrude. It's not even really a  beach, it's more a series of white, alien-looking cliffs, consisting of blistering volcanic rock, watching over a narrow, crystal-blue lagoon, with the Sea of Sardinia in the distance. Within that lagoon are swathes of seashells, and you can even find the odd crab hiding amongst them.

I also like how it further confirms Bosa's beauty - it's both gifted naturally and architecturally. It made for a nice ending to our trip to Bosa, and we soon headed back to Alghero, which was where our hotel was for the length of our holiday there. I wish we could have spent slightly longer in Bosa, though, watching over the river and walking down the colourful side streets. It was uniquely beautiful, and I couldn't get enough of it.