Discovering A Real Gem: Bosa, Sardinia
Even the description “one of Italy’s most beautiful villages” doesn’t do justice to our first sight of this exquisite little town of just over 8,000 inhabitants, simply one of those places which brings out a wow or two at first sight. Bosa sits just a mile in from the sea on the banks of the Temo River, the only riverside town in all of Sardinia on the island’s only navigable river. Two ancient bridges span the Temo, colourful houses catch the sunshine, wooded hills surround the town, coastal cliffs are visible from the centre of town. It’s insanely attractive.
Perched high above this beautiful scene at the best vantage point of all is the Serravalle Castle, built by the wealthy Malaspina family as a means of defending against the regular raids by pirates on this moneyed but accessible town. The views from the castle, across Bosa and along the meandering river to the sea, are beyond stunning. We’re also lucky enough to have a view from our balcony which is so good that we spend time on each of our three days here just gazing at it all.
Even the drive here (yay, driving at last!) is spectacular, the road from Alghero to Bosa hugging the coastline with spectacular mountainous scenery on one side and the expanse of the blue Mediterranean on the other, yet still the first sight of Bosa is the day’s highlight.
Funnily enough, it wasn’t always this way. Bosa was always attractive of course, but ravaged by bad smells and a dreadfully unhealthy environment, caused mostly by the famed tanneries which lined the left river bank through town. Anyone who has visited the tanneries of Morocco will know all about the smells, but Bosa would have taken it to another level. For a start, Bosa’s tanneries were indoors, with the tanning pits actually below ground level with little chance for the bad odours to escape or for fresh air to enter.
But get this – whereas in Morocco much of the stench comes from the use of pigeon excrement as the cleaning material, here in Bosa they didn’t use pigeon poo, they used dog shit. Try – but not too hard please- to imagine the working conditions, in a basement filled with the smells of animal flesh, discarded and rotting fat, depilated hair and dog shit. Not great huh. And as if this wasn’t enough, all of the resultant debris, including but not limited to all of the above, was thrown into the river – a river which regularly flooded the town on high tides. One can only imagine the state and stench of the streets when the floods subsided. Ugh.
Anyway, it’s all gone now, the last tannery having closed in the 1950s. The tannery buildings remain: some semi derelict, some converted to holiday homes and one now the tannery museum from where we obtained most of this information. Incidentally, the leather goods produced here were of high quality and created significant wealth for the owner families and for the town as a whole.
Leather goods, the finest saddles, barrels for wine production, plus a brand of malvasia considered among the finest in Italy, all contributed to another wave of prosperity which carried Bosa for a century or more.
Now, Bosa is no longer blighted by terrible smells or polluted air and is free to bask in its glory as a wonderfully attractive town so pleasing on the eye. Thought to be first occupied by the Phoenicians ahead of occupation by the Romans, Bosa grew in importance through the Middle Ages to become a regional capital. The tanneries were to come much later, enjoying success through the 19th and 20th centuries.
Standing out among the large number of churches in the small town are the Basilica in the centre with its gleaming white interior, and the ancient San Pietro Extramuros just out of town, Sardinia’s oldest church dating originally from the 12th century AD. As well as the tanneries museum, Bosa also houses an ethnographic museum, fairly basic but on its middle floor reproducing the interior of the dwelling as it would have been when occupied by one of the town’s wealthier families. It’s a fascinating insight into bygone times.
Churches of Bosa
With the rental car at last at our disposal we explore some of Sardinia’s western coast, through the villages of Tresnuraghes and Cuglieri, then out to S’Archittu where we clamber inside and up onto the nuraghe on the clifftop – more about these rather unusual structures in our next post. Feels so good to be on the road.
But let’s get back to Bosa itself, an absolute gem of a town – one of those towns which is a delight to discover, giving a wonderful first impression and never losing that appeal for the whole of our stay. We could lose hours just looking at the view from our balcony. Lovely little town. And we didn’t even mention the fregola, and barely mentioned the malvasia. Cheers Bosa, and arrividerci.
32 Comments
Helen Devries
12th century seems a bit late for the first church in Sardinia, given the long implantation of Christianity there….was there an earlier structure, do you think?
Phil & Michaela
Ah yes, I should have said, oldest surviving….
Helen Devries
Did not mean to nit pick….just roused my curiosity.
Off piste, but just came acrosss this, perhaps for future trips…..https://www.fondazionefs.it/en/itineraries.html
Phil & Michaela
Wow they look good….and not expensive either!!
grandmisadventures
Oh this does look like an exceptionally lovely town with those colorful buildings and views of the water. I cant imagine though how bad it must have smelled before they cleaned out the stink!
Phil & Michaela
It’s very lovely nowadays, Meg, but wow how rotten it would have been back then
Lynette d'Arty-Cross
It’s definitely quite a beauty. How were the crowds when you visited? Your photos show it as quiet (but if it was busy when you took these photos, you did a terrific job!). I visited in the spring about 25 years ago and found it absolutely wonderful. Yes, the tanneries were definitely the smell of money if the stench or the flooding results didn’t kill you first!
Phil & Michaela
A little busy but absolutely within reason, unlike Alghero. I think big numbers stay out at the beach at Bosa Marina, the town itself was lively but not stressful by any means….easy to get tables etc.
Suzanne@PictureRetirement
Of course, they erected the tanneries along the river—a convenient dumping ground. I don’t think I could stand to stay in one of the conversions, knowing what went on there. The town seems to have come a long way and is actually quite pretty. Congrats on getting your DL restored and now being able to drive. Have fun.
Phil & Michaela
It really is a lovely town, so picturesque
Eha Carr
Good Friday morning from a sunny late winter’s day here on the Highlands . . . loving your walk-thru’ under far less crowded circumstances than before, actually able to look and see and learn and enjoy in peace – with all the needed papers and bits of plastic in your pocket 🙂 ! Keep on looking at all the very narrow pre-motor streets – stupid question > are cars allowed at all on the very narrow ones? And – reading about the methods in the tanneries . . . oh dear, oh yuck 🙁 !!!
Phil & Michaela
Some of the streets are simply too narrow, the rest are open to traffic – including some extremely tight ones – but all one way only. Very attractive town though, Eha
Toonsarah
Ooh, that does look lovely! But somehow not totally Italian, perhaps because of those colourful houses? When I think of Italy I always think of ochre or honey coloured stone. Those part-cobbled streets look very attractive and your view is definitely a wow 😲 I’ll be interested in your take on the nuraghe – we found them fascinating!
Phil & Michaela
They are indeed fascinating, more on those later. Bosa did “feel” very Italian….although we have seen graffiti stating “SARDINIA IS NOT ITALY” a couple of times! Bosa is a lovely town, so very attractive.
Monkey's Tale
You made me gag a little at the tanneries description. I hope the holiday homes have been well bleached, I could imagine that stench would seep into the walls. Glad they’ve gotten rid of them though because the town does look perfect today. Maggie
Phil & Michaela
Disgusting, huh! Lovely town now though, for sure.
Lookoom
Thank you for introducing the town of Bosa. I think it’s a place I would enjoy, as well as a good base from which to visit the rest of the region.
Phil & Michaela
Definitely worth a visit, a very attractive town
WanderingCanadians
Bosa looks so colourful, cute and charming. Beautiful views from the castle. Glad to hear that the smell, pollution and dog shit from the tanneries is a thing of the past.
Phil & Michaela
It’s a really appealing town, very attractive.
MrsWayfarer
The place looks lovely, it’s fascinating how they’ve come a long way from the tanneries in the 50s.
Phil & Michaela
It’s certainly a very picturesque place now…
The Flask Half Full
. . . and that’s why people drank wine instead of water. Because the water was laced with tannery goo and dog shit. Speaking of wine, did you have a chance to try some Malvasia? Or some Cannonau or Vermentino?
Phil & Michaela
Yes! Bosa claims to be the home of Italy’s best malvasia, so of course we had several. Cannonau has long been a favourite of mine so yes of course we had plenty. Plus, cagnulari….one I remember loving on previous visits years ago. And it’s still gooooood. Vermentino…no.
The Flask Half Full
Wonderful. You hit (almost) all of the Sardinian wine stars!
Phil & Michaela
And there’s been more….😂
wetanddustyroads
I’m glad the awful smell and polluted air have disappeared in the meantime, because wow … with those views, amazing colour of the sea and cheerful street scenes, it makes Bosa a beautiful place to visit.
Phil & Michaela
It’s a VERY appealing and picturesque town, Corna. Loved it there…and oh wow Portuguese wine just didn’t stop giving! You can only imagine how bad the Bosa environment used to be though…
Annie Berger
So happy that you could get back to driving again and having the freedom to explore what and where you want once again. The state of the former tanneries sounds appalling, but that’s now in the past and replaced by stunning sights and a revitalized town. Looking forward to seeing more of Sardinia through your eyes and Michaela’s photos.
Phil & Michaela
A lovely town now, but what a history! Sardinia is a beautiful island Annie, nearing the end of our time here now..
leightontravels
What a beautiful introduction to Bosa! Your post really captures the charm of the village — it comes across not just as picturesque, but as a place full of character and life. The pastel-colored houses cascading down the hill, the river, the way the light hits the facades, the view from the castle, the tiled roofs, winding alleys, terracotta tones, the blue of the water and sky, I think Sladja and I could handle all that one day.
Phil & Michaela
You definitely could, Leighton, it’s a lovely place full of charm.