Castelsardo - Santa Maria delle Grazie

The peninsula on which Castelsardo was built, was inhabited already in megalithic times. Some thousands of years later Romans lived here.

The town originates from a castle built in 1102 by the wealthy (and later very powerful and important) Doria family of Genoa. It was named then "Castel Genovese". The Aragonese conquered the place in 1448 and renamed it to "Castillo Aragonés".

The current name "Castelsardo" was given to the town in the 18th century by Charles Emmanuel III of Sardinia, who was Duke of Savoy and King of Sardinia.

Inside "Santa Maria delle Grazie" one of two old churches in the medieval center high up on the hill. The church holds holds the famous 14th-century crucifix Cristo Nero from the 14th century - and this madonna under the arch.