Valledoria
Valledoria is situated in northern Sardinia, right in the middle of the valley of the Coghinas River. It is surrounded by gentle hills and it looks out over the Gulf of Asinara. Valledoria’s position is unique: from here you can easily reach the most famous nearby destinations including Castelsardo, Mimosa Bay, Isola Rossa and Costa Paradiso.
The Maddalena Archipelago and the Emerald Coast are a stone’s throw away, whereas it will take you just an hour drive to reach the areas of Stintino, Alghero and Capo Caccia with its famous Nettuno Caves. Interesting sites include the Petrified Forest, the Nuraghe Leni, the Casteldoria baths and the ruins of the homonymous castle from the XII Century. Valledoria’s coastline is characterised by fine, sandy, long and varied beaches with ample portions of alternating rock and sandy dunes that break into a yet uncontaminated sea and its multicoloured seabed.
The area of Valledoria belonged to the Anglona administration in the Giudicato of Torres up until the second half of the thirteenth-century when it was passed over to the Genoese family Doria. In 1376, the family unified its Sardinian possessions with those of the Giudicali arborensi, as a result of the marriage between Brancaleone Doria and Judge Eleonora d'Arborea. After the Aragonese conquest, the barony of Coghinas was heavily hit by epidemics that took place, for the most part, beginning in the XV Century and had a devastating effect on medieval settlements.
Demographic renewal took place in the middle of the nineteenth-century, thanks to interventions by the Savoy government and the influx of Galluresi families who, attracted by the possibility of finding work cultivating Coghinas' fertile, lower valley, settled the area of Valledoria. |interruzione di pagina The city of Valledoria, formerly known as Codaruina, was established in 1960 and became the region's chief town, officially called Valledoria Centro. The areas most frequented by tourists are: La Muddizza, St. Peter, Baia Verde, Maragnani and La Ciaccia where there are a few tourist facilities.
Here is a selection of particularly charming, religious-cultural festivities taking place in Valledoria, concentrated for the most part in the spring: St. Joseph (March 19th) celebrated in the country not far from Valledoria, the patron saint Madonna of Valverde (1st Sunday after Easter) which takes place along the town's main streets and in the municipal square and the religious celebrations in honour of St. Peter Celestino (3rd Sunday in May). It takes place in S. Pietro a Mare and includes a procession, exhibitions by folk groups and the tasting of typical, local food products.
The gastronomic aspect is an important component of the local economy. Valledoria's traditional dishes are usually home-made and its first courses include: curizzoni, suppa, mazzafrissa, cisoni, laldaiolu,and pesce a cassola. Its second meat courses include: tataliu, colda, agnoni, pulcheddu and arrustu while some of its second fish-based courses are muzzaru, saldina, anghidda, inzerru with cheese like casciu arrultu, zucchitta, rigottu, and casciu frazzigu. Its sweets production is also vast and includes casciattini, pirighitti, cozzuli a pistiddi, papassini, origliette and friscioli.