Golfo Aranci is a comune (municipality) in the Province of Sassari in the Italian region of Sardinia, located about 200 km north of Cagliari and about 13 km northeast of Olbia.

Name

The town's name, literally "Gulf [of the] Oranges", actually derives from a recent Italianization of the Gallurese toponym Golfu di li Ranci ("Gulf of the Crabs"). It was previously known only as Figari.

History

The current town grew up in the mid-18th century as a fishing port. In the early 19th century a Royal Decree made it into the main port for the arrivals from the Italian mainland, contributing to its population growth.