Monte Altura Fortress, in Palau, with a Guided Visit

Above Palau, on top of a granite hill, there is a military citadel that is barely visible from below. The Monte Altura fortress was built in 1887 to watch over and defend the north-east coast of Sardinia, and it was made from the hill's own rock so that it blended into the landscape. Today it is visited with a guide, and from the top you see Palau, the archipelago and, on clear days, the mountains of Corsica, about 15 km away.

What you see

It is a complete 19th-century citadel, in good condition: storehouses, ammunition depots and the powder magazine, the quarters of officers, non-commissioned officers and soldiers, the mess rooms where they ate, the wash-houses and the telegraph office. The rocks emerge between the walls, and stone steps climb the granite to the lookout posts.

The guides tell the history of the area with names that ring a bell: Domenico Millelire and the French attack of 1793 in which Napoleon Bonaparte took part, Admiral Horatio Nelson, Garibaldi and the sailors of the cruiser Trieste and the battleship Roma, sunk in the Second World War.

2026 hours

The visit is guided, with departures at fixed times. From 1 April to 9 August and from 2 to 30 September, every hour from 10:15 to 17:15 or 18:15 depending on the month, with a break at midday. From 1 to 24 October, until 17:15; from 25 October to 2 November, from 9:15 to 16:15. In 2026 it closed from 10 August to 1 September and closes for winter from 3 November. Visits are in Italian and English; for Spanish, ask beforehand.

Prices and booking

€5 for adults, €2.50 for ages 11 to 18 and free up to 10. The combined ticket with the Roccia dell'Orso and Palau's Ethnographic Museum costs €7 (€4 for ages 11 to 18). You book online on its website or by phone and WhatsApp on +39 347 0913032. The visitor centre is at Via Punta Sardegna 4, in Palau.

Bear in mind

Not all of the route is accessible for people with reduced mobility. Animals are allowed. Wear closed shoes: there are steps and rock. It is a good plan for the afternoon you come back from the boat or for a windy day when the excursions do not sail.