“The sad reality is that I think people here have other worries and don’t value how much the language is really a unique characteristic of our city,” Ms. Alivesi said.

After Sardinia was taken over by the Turin-based House of Savoy in 1720, eventually becoming part of what is modern-day Italy, the Catalan language virtually disappeared on the island.

Now, Catalan is not only overshadowed by Italian, but it must also compete for recognition with a handful of other languages and dialects, including the dominant indigenous language, Sardinian.

Catalan is rarely heard on the streets in Alghero, though many signs are written in the language. Restaurants also label some of their dishes as Catalan, including a local version of paella.

The language’s decline here stands in contrast to its status in the Iberian Peninsula, where it has seen a revival since the late 1970s, when Spain’s return to democracy ended a ban on Catalan imposed during the dictatorship of Francisco Franco.

Franco’s ban did not snuff out the language. In fact, the private use of Catalan became a form of quiet resistance to the dictatorship. In Italy, meanwhile, the use of Catalan was neither prohibited nor encouraged.