Castello dei Doria, Medieval fortress in Castelsardo, Italy

Castello dei Doria, also called Castello Bellavista, is a largely preserved medieval castle on a rock in northern Sardinia above the Gulf of Asinara. Its walled complex runs about 100 metres east-west but only about 25 metres north-south, with seven separate houses linked by a narrow lane. A steep ramp from the east leads to the north gate and a small courtyard.

The Doria, a Genoese noble family, built the castle in the second half of the 13th century, probably around 1270, as Castel Genovese or Castrum Januae. It served as their seat and controlled their north-western Sardinian possessions until the 15th century. Taken by the Crown of Aragon in 1448 as the last Sardinian territory, it became Castel Aragonese. From 1767, under the House of Savoy, castle and town took the name Castelsardo.

Inside the castle, a museum displays baskets and everyday objects made by Sardinian craftspeople, showing the traditional crafts of the region. The weaving techniques on show are still passed down in Castelsardo today.

Reaching the castle means walking up through the narrow lanes of the old town, which is steep but manageable on foot for most visitors. There is little shade at the top, so going early in the morning or in the late afternoon makes the visit more comfortable.

The castle's bell tower inscription was long read as 1111, dating the town's founding; epigrapher Giuseppe Piras later showed the bell actually bears the year 1604. Excavations led by Marco Milanese of the University of Sassari placed the castle's construction in the second half of the 13th century, not 1102 as Fara's 16th-century account suggested.