Sardinia. Let’s face it, who among you at the word Sardinia doesn’t think of the beautiful creeks and coves with turquoise water? I think it is more than normal, we tend to identify places based also on common feelings.
What do you do in Sardinia? One goes to the sea, the sea of Sardinia. I myself in the past told you about it in the article on the south Sardinia’s most beautiful beaches. Although it is normal, it is still not correct.
It would be like identifying the city where I was born, Brescia, as the city of rods, which is not wrong, but it is much much more and the area really offers great opportunities both culturally and scenically.
I recently had the great pleasure of being able to work with the Iglesiente Tourist Promotion Consortium. This allowed me to be able to unhinge that erroneous juxtaposition Sardinia = Sea, by discovering a part of Sardinia that is still little known, but with a historical/cultural past, as well as landscape, that left me speechless.
Iglesias in Sardinia
Who could have imagined that in the area surrounding the city of Iglesias in Sardinia there were so many things to see, so interesting and so different from each other.
Iglesias is located in southwestern Sardinia, a less glossy and well-known part of Sardinia. This makes it even more fascinating, but above all, it is real, less constructed and artifactual. It is a small town of only 26,300 inhabitants and is the main town in the Iglesias region. Together with the city of Carbonia, the two territories form the province of Carbonia-Iglesias, a relatively recent province since it was established in July 2001.
The territory of Sulcis-Iglesiente
The territorial area in which the city of Iglesias is located, is precisely the Iglesiente, or rather the Sulcis-Iglesiente, which also includes the area of Sant’Antioco. It is an area of wild landscapes with beautiful beaches, but also with sheer cliffs overlooking the sea, such as near Pan di Zucchero, which at 133 meters high is the highest stacks in the entire Mediterranean Sea.
The interior of Sulcis-Iglesiente presents a rugged, rough landscape that fully reflects its “mining destination.” In fact, it is rich in mineral deposits that began to be “exploited” as early as Phoenician times, almost 5,000 years ago.
The sites of interest to see in and around Iglesias are strongly linked to the history of mining and all mining processes. People’s own stories are linked to experiences in the mines, unfortunately not always positive given the conditions in which miners worked. I will tell you more about this later within this article on what to do around Iglesias in Sardinia.
What to do around Iglesias in Sardinia: Iglesias and its surroundings
After this extensive but necessary introduction, I can assure you that there are so many things to do that you can easily commit three to four days to discovering Sulcis-Iglesiente. Let’s start with its main city.
The city of Iglesias
I told you about it a few lines ago. Iglesias is ideal as a base for discovering the entire Iglesiente. A city that is collected but at the same time very pleasant to discover, also appreciating some of the city’s redevelopment interventions as in the case of “ennedue,” a disused area of Iglesias converted and recovered thanks to urban art interventions, such as street art.
The city also has the interesting Mining Art Museum, which I will tell you about in the next point.
The Mining Art Museum in Iglesias
Currently Museo dell’Arte Mineraria, is located in that structure where, in the most fervent moments of mining activity, there was a real technical institute whose purpose was to educate and train miners.
I am not the museum type, and in fact I tell you very little about it in this blog. For that very reason, if I mention it, it is because I definitely want to recommend a visit. Thanks to the volunteers of the association that runs the museum, you will be able to learn about the history of the Iglesiente, its inhabitants and discover all the processes related to mining.
Not only that, you will be able to feel the concerns and emotions, not always positive (on the contrary), of those who lived the miner’s life. Despite the fact that it was a highly demanded and at the same time coveted job, being a miner was wearisome, not only in terms of physical commitment, but also in terms of social commitment.
The miner’s life, willingly or unwillingly, during and outside working hours, constantly revolved around the mine. In the museum everything will seem clearer to you and you can experience the feeling of being a miner. You will be able to go into the educational gallery used by the students to put what they learned into practice. It is important to note that this gallery was also reinforced and designed as a shelter to be used during the bombings of World War II.
What to do around Iglesias in Sardinia: trekking and natural sites
In such a wild but extremely fascinating Sardinia, characterized by very different landscapes, it is possible to find numerous natural beauties that have no equal. In this context we also find a Cammino, the Santa Barbara Trail, which scenically ranges from barren inland terrains to extraordinary sea views.
The Santa Barbara Mining Trail
Are you a lover of walking, or even simply trekking along routes with fantastic views? This is one of those things that is a must-see in the Iglesiente, but what am I saying…a must-hike!
It is a good 500 km divided into 30 stages. A loop itinerary that touches all the areas of Sulcis-Iglesiente-Guspinese. 75% composed of paths, mule tracks and dirt roads, 25% paved or asphalt roads. 500 km that fully enhance this part of Sardinian territory, perfectly embedded in what is the historical/cultural context of the area. Not coincidentally, the name “Santa Barbara” is due precisely to the patron saint of miners.
The itinerary is developed on the “oldest land in Italy.” In fact, in the Iglesiente area one can find rocks of geological formation in other parts of Italy not present. Obviously, walking the whole path requires an enormous amount of time.
Santa Barbara Cave
Santa Barbara is ubiquitous, all the more so in a mine. I am talking about the San Giovanni mine a short distance from Iglesias. Santa Barbara Cave is a magical place. In the heart of the mountain, a huge open space dotted with stalagmites, stalactites and concretions formed over millions of years. Equally magical and unusual is the way it was discovered.
In 1952, it was miners who discovered the cavity during construction work on an ascending tunnel. Santa Barbara Cave has been preserved to this day, despite the fact that there was not as much attention paid to these issues at the time.
Currently, one can visit the cave on a guided tour lasting 1 hour and 30 minutes. One enters the mountain for 700 meters by a small train, and then, thanks to an elevator, one reaches the point from which one enters the cave.
Cave of St. John: among the rocks of the Iglesiente
I’m not kidding. You really enter among the rocks of the Iglesiente and get a sense of how and what geological changes are taking place, although you can only imagine them given the slightly longer time frame than human life. If you are wondering what absolutely to visit in the Sulcis Iglesiente, that is the cave of San Giovanni. Incredible and unmissable. It is the longest carriageable cave in the World.
What is a carriage cave?
Simply a natural cavity, a huge burrow or more simply an extensive cave with two entrances, in which a real road has been created. In the case of this cave in the Iglesiente, we are talking about 850 meters and it is considered the first toll road in the Kingdom of Italy; a road between the village of Domusnovas and the valley of Oridda.
A 530-million-year-old cave where the meeting of two faults can be clearly identified. St. John’s Cave remained open to traffic until 1999. When you visit it, you will wonder how it is possible that until a few years ago cars and buses could pass through. Absolutely a must-visit!
Cape Pecora
Capo Pecora is that jewel of the Iglesiente coast where you feel at peace with the world. A tongue of granite jutting out into the sea, the incessant wind typical of marine places and the sound of the waves crashing against the coast. What more could you want!
Tip: enjoy a sunset from Cape Pecora.
What to see in the Iglesiente: the mining and cultural sites
The Iglesiente territory was dotted with mines. They were the main economic livelihood for the inhabitants of Iglesias and neighboring territories. Everything revolved around the mining sector. Over the years, the mines have been decommissioned and now represent an undoubted cultural heritage to preserve and be proud of.
The Santa Barbara Trail touches on many of these cultural sites. It therefore represents an ideal way to experience the area from both a cultural and naturalistic point of view.
The Cave of Acquacadda
On the route of the walk is precisely the Acqua Cadda cave. It is not a huge cave like the one in San Giovanni, nothing like it. Codesta cave is very important for all the discoveries that are taking place inside it.
The history and origins of the Sardinians may soon be disrupted by the findings that archaeologists are finding. About a hundred meters from the cave entrance, I recommend visiting the very small mining museum run by an association. Get an explanation of the nature of the various rocks, I assure you it will be very interesting!
Porto Flavia, the harbor on the cliff
This former mining site represents the historical evolution of the Iglesiente mines. I’ll get right to the point: what was Porto Flavia?
Built in 1922, Porto Flavia was THE new method of embarking mining material on vessels bound for northern European smelters. Given the weight and bulkiness of the materials, it was necessary at the time to find a more efficient, faster, and less expensive way to stow minerals in large cargo ships. Before the construction of Porto Flavia, materials necessarily had to be brought from the Sardinian coast to the island of Carloforte. Here they were loaded into the large vessels.
Bad weather, boats that were too small, little flexibility and low volumes of movement were the reasons that led mining companies to find an alternative. It was, precisely, the construction of Porto Flavia, a harbor suspended overhanging the sea just in front of Sugarloaf Mountain.
As many as 9 silos were created in the mountain behind the cliff, 18 meters high and with a capacity of 10,000 tons of material. Two tunnels, the first above the silos was intended for filling the silos themselves, the second, below, had the task of moving the materials by conveyor belt directly to the ship docked near the cliff.
Porto Flavia is absolutely one of the things you must see in the Iglesiente. Its location and history make it a place of unique charm.
Lamarmora Laveria in Nebida
Ores were “washed,” which is why laveries were needed. Here, now don’t think of the housewife washing the pieces of rock by hand. No, the process was about crushing the ores so that they were less bulky and a subsequent chemical washing with water and acids.
There are so many laveries in the Iglesiente, but the Lamarmora Laveria has a peculiarity that makes it incredibly interesting: it is almost overlooking the sea. A unique panorama that I recommend you visit, even if only for a photograph.
Henry Gallery in Bugerru
Another must-see place if you plan to visit the Iglesiente and its history. The Henry Gallery is emblematic of the mining past of this piece of Sardinia. A small train takes you inside the history of an old mine. It is also a fantastic place from a landscape point of view where, thanks to a guided tour, you can understand the economic/social conditions of the time.
How did the miners live? How did life as a miner affect everyday life? Here it is possible to find answers to these and many other questions.
Nuraghe Seruci
Dulcis in fundo, a nuraghe. It is not possible to go home without seeing one of these prehistoric houses/fortresses created with many stone blocks of different sizes. Nuraghe Seruci is an important archaeological site in the Iglesiente, it features one of the largest villages in Sardinia, and the main function was military/defensive.
The Iglesiente in a video
Look at these magnificent places!