Alghero

Centuries of Spanish rule left Alghero with honey-coloured walls, narrow lanes, and a Catalan Gothic old town still nicknamed "Barceloneta." Its own airport, Alghero-Fertilia, connects directly to major European cities. The beaches range from Spiaggia di Maria Pia's dunes to Le Bombarde's lively shoreline and Mugoni's pine-sheltered, nearly waveless water.

Unlike much of the coast, Alghero holds a real population through winter — mild enough for local life to carry on, festivals included, once the summer crowds have gone.