Castello dei Doria & Museo dell'Intreccio

Medieval castle with views across the Gulf of Asinara, now housing a basket weaving museum

The castle at the summit of Castelsardo's rocky promontory was built by the Doria family in the 12th century and commands extraordinary views in every direction — across the Gulf of Asinara to the west and along the coast of Anglona in both directions. The climb through the lanes of the old town to reach it is half the experience.

The interior now houses the Museo dell'Intreccio Mediterraneo, dedicated to the basket-weaving tradition for which Castelsardo is famous throughout Sardinia. The collection covers the tools, techniques, and history of the craft, alongside examples of the woven baskets, bags, and decorative objects still made in the town. Well worth the modest entrance fee.

things to do sight museum
A story
The castle was built in the 12th century by the Doria family, a Genoese dynasty that controlled much of northwestern Sardinia. They named the town Castelgenovese. It was renamed Castel Aragonese when Aragonese forces captured it in 1448, then renamed again — to Castelsardo — in 1769 by Savoy rulers who wanted to erase all trace of its foreign associations. The Dorias themselves are buried in the cathedral below.