Porto Torres

Ferries to Porto Torres connect the coastal city in the north-west of Sardinia (province of Sassari) to the Italian peninsula, but also to Spain (Barcelona), Corsica and mainland France.

The national maritime lines operate throughout the year: the Gulf of Asinara is reached with departures from the ports of Civitavecchia and Genoa.

The Civitavecchia - Porto Torres line is operated by the shipping company Grimaldi Lines which guarantees trips even in winter, progressively increasing the frequency as the high season approaches.

The Genoa - Porto Torres line is operated annually by the Tirrenia company and seasonally by the Grandi Navi Veloci company.

The international shipping routes are Barcelona - Porto Torres (operated annually by Grimaldi Lines), Ajaccio - Porto Torres (operated seasonally by Moby) and Toulon - Porto Torres (seasonal, Corsica Ferries Sardinia Ferries).

The carriers used by Grimaldi, Tirrenia and Moby on the return routes are cruise ferries which, in addition to on-board accommodation such as reclining seats, cabins and suites, offer quality furnishings and services comparable to those of cruise ships.

The port area of ​​Porto Torres dedicated to ro/ro passenger ships is the civic port (Ponente piers, Dogana Segni quay and Alti Fondali quay).

The territory of Porto Torres overlooks the splendid Gulf of Asinara ,and it is located a few kilometers from its capital, Sassari. The Sardinian municipality boasts a record of no small importance: after Olbia, it has in fact the second port in Sardinia for passenger traffic.

Founded by the Romans in 46 BC with the name of Turris Libisonis, the necropolis found by archaeologists testify that the area was already inhabited during the pre-Nuragic period. Over the centuries the city underwent the domination of various peoples: from the Phoenicians to the Romans, from the Vandals to the Byzantines, without forgetting, of course, the Spaniards. 

The name of Porto Torres is inextricably linked to the figure of the engineer from Olgiate Nino Rovelli, who, towards the end of the 1950s, focused on the start-up and growth of the industrial area of ​​Marianella. The failure of his SIR in 1981 and the progressive decline of the industrial sector led the population to invest in the development of the port. This happened starting from the 90s, when it was realized that to avoid the default the city would have to devote itself to tourism.

Parallel to the expansion of the civil port (affected by a considerable tourist flow), more and more importance has been given to the huge historical and artistic heritage of the area. If this were not enough, the Marianella pole and the Fiume Santo power plant are at the center of a reconversion and reclamation plan, and great impetus has been given to the construction of photovoltaic systems.

Despite human interventions, the territory of Porto Torres is rich in incomparable naturalistic beauties, which make it a real oasis that welcomes the visitor and allows him to recover. In order to preserve this significant environmental heritage, two protected areas were established between 1997 and 2002: the Asinara National Park and the homonymous marine protected area.

The island of Asinara is historically known also for judicial reasons. In fact, until 1998 it housed a maximum security penitentiary, where prominent members of organized crime were detained: among them, the "professor" of the NCO Raffaele Cutolo, the head of the Cosa Nostra bosses Totò Riina and Matteo Boe, the only prisoner to have managed to escape from the facility. The magistrates Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino stayed at the detachment of Cala d'Oliva for work reasons before the Palermo maxi trial.