Walking through the picturesque historic center of Alghero reveals a linguistic and cultural surprise: a majority of residents still speak Algherese, a distinct medieval dialect of Catalan. This linguistic survival is a direct legacy of the 14th-century Crown of Aragon conquest, which repopulated the walled city with settlers from Catalonia. Today, street signs are bilingual, and Catalan is proudly preserved in everyday conversation, architecture, and local traditions, earning Alghero the affectionate nickname Barceloneta (Little Barcelona).