Villanova

The long band that stretches from the beach of Speranza to Capo Marargiu takes its name from the highland of Villanova and goes right up until the banks of the lake Temo, embracing the two municipalities of Villanova Monteleone and Monteleone Roccadoria.

The territory is characterised by the beauty of the coast along which the panoramic Alghero-Bosa road runs, following the vertical cliffs on the sea, from which it is possible to admire the colour of the waters on one side and the green of the characteristic Mediterranean brush, rich in lentisk, rockrose and myrtle on the other.

The small suburb of Monteleone Roccadoria was the last fortress of the Genoese family of the Dorias, whose name refers to Su Monte, the high ground upon which the village was built, conquered in 1436 by the Aragonese after three years of long siege. The record is kept by the still standing, attractive Romanesque church of Santo Stefano, built in the 13th century. Almost all of the inhabitants of Monteleone Roccadoria moved to the flatland where they founded the town of Villanova Monteleone and constructed the tower of Badde Jana to defend their territory and protect it from the frequent pirate raids that plundered goods and men, particularly in the areas in the vicinity of the coasts.

The medieval suburb of Villanova maintains its own peculiarities unchanged in the attractive historical centre, characterised above all by houses built in bare limestone and trachyte and by a fruitful handicraft production of carpets and baskets. The island’s first Photographic Museum is found here, that boasts an absolutely must see permanent exhibition.