Palazzo Carcassona (Carcassona Palace), Alghero

Carcassona Palace, located in the Jewish quarter of Alghero, stands as a significant testament to mid-15th-century architecture and history. This impressive building was a prominent residence for high-ranking officials, including royal prosecutors and governors, who visited or stayed in the city. Notably, the viceroy was once hosted in the residence of Maimone Carcassona, the eldest son of Samuele Carcassona, a prominent Jewish family in Alghero.

The palace's architectural elegance is evident in its sandstone façade, characterized by a distinctive decentralized doorway. This entrance features an adovellado design with a refined molding that frames the arch, echoing architectural motifs found in Valencia, Naples, Palermo, and Sardinia. The lower archway of the building also reflects the Neapolitan style seen in the palaces of Antonello Petrucci and Diomede Carafa, along with influences from various Southern Italian, Barcelona, and Valencia architectural elements.

Above the main entrance, the façade is adorned with four mullioned windows set within a molded rectangular frame, each decorated with a small intertwined trefoil arch. This decorative detail is a hallmark of Aragonese Mediterranean architecture, emphasizing the building's historical and stylistic connections across the region.

Originally featuring a loggia patio and an external staircase leading to the reception hall, Carcassona Palace combined functionality with grandeur. The entrance hall, with its barrel vault, connected the main doorway to the open patio. A distinctive feature of the façade is the ovoid projecting face with wide eyes and a half-open mouth, carved into a block of sandstone. This element is reminiscent of the sculpture on the Maddalena Tower, also known as Garibaldi's Tower, further linking the palace to Alghero's rich architectural heritage.