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00 Bosa
Stemma di Bosa

Sardinia · Oristano

Bosa

A colour-washed riverside town on Sardinia's only navigable river, with a Malaspina castle on the hill and the tanneries of Sas Conzas along the Temo.

Best time
May–Oct
By car
2 h 43 min from Cagliari
Population
7,487

Known for

  • MALASPINA CASTLE

    Thirteenth-century Tuscan fortress of the Malaspina di Spino Secco, called by the Aragonese the key to all Sardinia in the Sardinian-Catalan war.

  • MALVASIA DI BOSA

    DOC sweet wine from the Planargia hills behind the town, in dry, semi-dry, natural sweet and sweet versions, one of Sardinia's classic dessert wines.

  • SAS CONZAS

    Nineteenth-century tanneries lining the south bank of the Temo in identical industrial blocks, an intact piece of Sardinian industrial heritage.

When to visit

Best · May–Oct

  • J14°
  • F15°
  • M16°
  • A18°
  • M22°
  • J27°
  • J30°
  • A30°
  • S27°
  • O23°
  • N19°
  • D15°
  • Best
  • Hot or crowded
  • Quiet
  • Mostly closed

Daytime averages, 2020–2024. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com.

Why come

Bosa sits three kilometres inland from the western coast of Sardinia, on the north bank of the Temo, the only navigable river on the island. The Castello di Serravalle, built around the second half of the thirteenth century by the Tuscan Malaspina family of Spino Secco, dominates the town from the hill above the centro storico. During the Sardinian-Catalan war the Aragonese described it as one of the noblest castles in the world and the key to the entire island.

Below the castle, the houses of the Sa Costa quarter step down the slope in lines of pink, yellow, blue and green to the river. On the opposite bank stretches Sas Conzas, the nineteenth-century tannery district, identical industrial buildings with stone soaking tanks where Bosa hides were processed for export. The Planargia hills behind the town produce Malvasia di Bosa DOC, one of Sardinia's classic sweet wines, alongside olive oil.

The Sunday letter

Bosa is on our list. Its letter is still to come.

We are writing about all 1,000 of these towns, one at a time, in a free letter every Sunday: the photo, the food, the festa. That is our mission. Sign up and you will be there when Bosa comes up. By Peter & Sophia, from Pietrasanta.

Read on

Bosa in our articles

How to get there

From Cagliari (CAG), about 3 hours by car.

Coming by train into Sassari? Bosa is about 1h 26m away by road.

Bosa, photo 1
Bosa, photo 2

What to see

  • Castello di Serravalle (o dei Malaspina)

    Thirteenth-century castle built by the Tuscan Malaspina family on the hill above the Temo, with the small chapel of Nostra Signora de sos Regnos Altos in its enclosure.

  • Sa Costa

    Old quarter of pink, yellow and blue houses climbing the slope from the river to the Malaspina castle, the postcard image of Bosa.

  • Sas Conzas

    Nineteenth-century riverside district of identical tannery buildings on the south bank of the Temo, an industrial heritage site with original stone soaking tanks.

  • Fiume Temo

    Sardinia's only navigable river, six kilometres open to small boats from the sea to the town, lined with the colour-washed houses of the centro storico.

  • Cattedrale dell'Immacolata Concezione

    Eighteenth-century cathedral on the Temo embankment, seat of the diocese of Alghero-Bosa, rebuilt over an earlier Romanesque structure.

The slow-trip planner

Building a trip? Find where Bosa fits in a slow Italy circuit.

Answer five questions. We will shape a geographically coherent slow trip from the 1,000 Italian towns most travelers skip. Yours to save and share.

Plan your trip

Through the year

What happens here

Feasts and festivals that come back year after year. We give the month rather than the date, because the date moves and the month rarely does. Check with the source before you plan a journey around one.

Living here

  • Population 7,487
  • Very remotei
  • Pharmacy in town
  • High school within a 30-minute drive
  • Nearest airport Cagliari, 2 h 57 min drive
  • Regional capital Cagliari, 2 h 45 min drive

Common questions

What is Bosa known for?
Bosa is a colour-washed riverside town on Sardinia's only navigable river, with a Malaspina castle on the hill and the tanneries of Sas Conzas along the Temo.
Where is Bosa?
Bosa is a comune in the province of Oristano, in Sardinia, at 10 meters above sea level.
What is the nearest airport to Bosa?
Cagliari (CAG), about 3 hours by car.
When is the best time to visit Bosa?
Best in May–Oct. July is the warmest month, averaging 30 degrees, and January the wettest, with about 14 rain days.
Is there a sagra or a festival in Bosa?
Yes. Attoppa a camasinu! and Nostra Signora di Regnos Altos. August is when the first of them falls.
Which other towns are like Bosa?
Orosei, Santa Teresa Gallura and Castelsardo.
How many people live in Bosa?
7,487 at the 2023 count.
Tags & datadesignations · numbers · sources

The numbers

  • Elevation: 10 m
  • Population: 7,487
  • Surface area: 128.02 km²

These figures were compiled from public directories: ISTAT, OpenStreetMap and Wikidata, and from the official listings of the guides named on this page. Town details change; verify with official sources before you travel.

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