Picturesque Bosa – a town on the river

The town of Bosa lies between the hot and more inaccessible plateaus of Planargia, bleached by the summer sun, and the rocky coast in the west of Sardinia. The River Temo cuts through the table mountains down into the Mediterranean and is even deep enough for fishing boats and barges a few kilometres up from the coast. This is unique for a river in Sardinia. The present-day town of Bosa developed on the basis of this favourable location.

Along the riverbanks of the town centre, the historic tannery buildings lie on one side. On the other side, the panorama of the old town along the river promenade was characterised in the past by impressive, large palm trees. Unfortunately, these fell victim to the palm weevil beetle, a pest introduced from Asia, and were cut down. Without the trees, the view of the facades of the multi-storey townhouses is now clear. Behind them, the central Corso, paved with granite slabs and round pebbles, forms the “living room” of the town with shops, bars and restaurants, as well as the cathedral forming the core of the old town. An old road bridge made of the dominant red trachyte rock and a modern pedestrian bridge connect the two banks.

Just behind the flat part of the old town, the colourful facades of narrow houses glow on the steep hillsides right up to the walls and towers of Malaspina Castle. This dates back to the time of Genoese rule in the 12th century and can be visited. However, you don’t have to climb the castle walls for a panoramic view over the town, the river and the sea with the town beach. The road below the entrance also offers a wide view.

After travelling along the lonely coastal road from Alghero, we enjoyed the urban flair in Bosa again and were able to buy fresh food once more. We also liked to sit in a bar in the shady alleys for a cool drink, as the intense heat in the early evening still put us off sightseeing. Bosa felt very authentic and relaxed to me, even if it is touristy in some places. As a regional centre between Alghero and Oristano, the necessary public facilities for education and health as well as the supply of goods and services are available here. Bosa is not a glamorous place with facades spruced up for tourists and dominated by holiday flats and apartments, but a town with a lively community – with everything that goes with it: noise and silence, the beautiful and the ugly…

More pictures in the ‘Sardinia’ gallery.