The Santa Barbara Mining Trail is an immersion in the splendid mining region of Sulcis Iglesiente, in the South West of Sardinia.
The 4-days Santa Barbara Mining trek proposed here concerns stages 4, 5 and 6 of the Cammino starting from the town of Buggerru and the final stage towards the town of Montevecchio, in the heart of the mining areas of the Fluminese and Guspinese territory.
The Trail includes an average of 12 km per day on a medium-easy level, accessible to those who have a certain familiarity with the multiple-day hiking .
The overnight stay (included) is in the B&B Pedra Rubia, a lovely structure facing the Iglesiente sea in the nearby town of Nebida. A transfer is provided to and from the starting and ending places of the treks (transfer included).
We start on the first day with a 12 km route from the mining village of Buggerru, overlooking the Iglesiente sea, passing through places of high historical value: the port area, the places of the Buggerru massacre of 1904, the workshop and carpentry, to go up to admire the splendid gulf. We will move along an arduous route on the hills behind the sea to once again set our sights on the entire coast and admire the splendid beach of Portixeddu.
From here, with an easy walk between the enormous sand dunes and the beautiful pine forest, you arrive at Portixeddu, a beach and a cluster of houses by the sea.
The next day we leave from Portixeddu to face a short uphill and overlook another suggestive part of the coast: Capo Pecora and its spectacular granite rocks overlooking the sea. We return from above towards a comfortable mule track that runs alongside sheepfolds and some important archaeological remains such as the Giants’ Tomb of “Sa Grutta e su Bandiu” from 1200 BC. This area, now the Scivu nature reserve, has always been a place of high mystical and naturalistic value, marked by stones admirably worked by the wind and by thick Mediterranean scrub. You reach the top to see the entire Costa Verde and descend from a shaded canal towards the splendid Scivu beach, with its singing sand. You arrive at the beach and walk along the entire coast, to reach the famous beach of the Piscinas dunes.
On the third day we start from Piscinas for a route around the high dunes behind the beach to reach the mining area of Ingurtosu.
Along the way we will encounter the remains of the spectacular Brassey Washing Plant, today in ruins, but in the past one of the most valuable industrial buildings, also from an aesthetic point of view with its friezes and decorations. We will move towards the mining area of Pitzinurri to close our stage in the abandoned area of Ingurtosu. Here we will be welcomed by the famous house of the Direction in German neo-Gothic style and the lovely little church. Optional visit to Pozzo Gal and the Mineral Museum managed by CEAS.
On the fourth day from Ingurtosu we go back inland through the mine paths to reach the charming mining village of Montevecchio. This stage will be a real immersion in the world of the most important mine in Sardinia and its very rich mining sites. We will visit the Casargiu, Amsicora and Sanna mines from the outside. Once in Montevecchio we will be welcomed by the graceful Art Nouveau shapes of the management house and the historic buildings of the mining village. Optional visit to the house of the Direction.
NOTE:
The overnight stay will be in the B&B Pedra Rubia in Nebida, with a double room solution at advantageous prices, breakfast included.
A transfer is provided to and from the starting and ending places of the treks (transfer included in the cost).
You can get to Nebida, where the B&B Pedra Rubia is located for an overnight stay, even the day before the start of the trek (not included). To get to Nebida you can use public transport, with a combination of train and bus. From the city of Cagliari or from the Cagliari-Elmas airport, by train you arrive at Iglesias, here you take a bus to get directly to Nebida, 300 meters from the B&B.
Here is the Trenitalia link: www.trenitalia.com
Here is the link for the 808 Iglesias – Nebida bus: https://app.arstspa.it/quadri/808.html.
Meals and drinks are excluded. The packed lunch that can be purchased in the supermarkets of the village of Nebida.
Dinner will be in the restaurants within walking distance in the town of Nebida. The group will have a maximum of 4/6 people.
Itinerary
Distance of km. 12 - Uphill: m. 460 - Travel time 4.5 hours
12 km route that starts from the mining village of Buggerru, overlooking the Iglesiente sea. We start inside the town, passing through the most important places of the mining heritage of the so-called "petite Paris", nickname of Buggerru in the years of the mineral rush, in which it became an important mining center in the hands of a French company.
From the port area characterized by the old Washing Plants and zinc calcination ovens, we move on to the sites of the Buggerru massacre of 1904, in front of the workshops and carpentry, to climb towards the upper part of the town on a panoramic road, traveled only from bikes and walkers.
Here from above we can admire the entire splendid gulf of Buggerru. Heading slightly inland and the amphitheater of rolling hills overlooking the sea, we will walk on an old mining route that slowly brings us closer to the sea. Here we will pass through the beautiful pine forest behind the enormous San Nicolò beach until we climb onto its surprising sand dunes.
We will arrive via an easy shaded route, which passes through ancient bunkers from the Second World War, to the splendid beach of Portixeddu and the village of the same name.
Distance of km. 16 - Uphill m. 460 - Travel time 6.5 hours
Departure from Portixeddu with an initial uphill to enter the natural and protected reserve of Scivu. From here you go down the hill to overlook another suggestive part of the coast, Capo Pecora and its spectacular granite rocks overlooking the sea. The morphology of the territory therefore changes, with a transition from the ceroid limestones of Buggerru to the spectacular granites worked by the sea and the wind, with unique natural conformations, similar to contemporary art sculptures. You reach a comfortable mule track that runs alongside some sheepfolds and some important archaeological remains such as the Tomb of the Giants of “Sa Grutta e su Bandiu” from the 2nd millennium BC. You arrive near a lookout tower to admire the entire Costa Verde from the top, from Scivu to the Oristano area. You descend from a shaded canal towards the splendid Scivu beach, with sand that sings, that is, it emits a subtle sound as you pass by.
You arrive at the beach and walk along the entire coast, to reach the famous beach of the Piscinas dunes, in a desert landscape bathed by the sea.
Distance of km. 9 - Uphill m. 370- Travel time 4 hours
We start from Piscinas beach for a route around the high dunes, which reach 100 metres, behind the beach to reach the mining area of Ingurtosu.
Along the way we will encounter the remains of the spectacular Brassey Washery, today in ruins, but in the past one of the most valuable industrial buildings, also from an aesthetic point of view with its friezes and decorations. We will move towards the mining area of Pitzinurri to close our stage in the abandoned area of Ingurtosu. Here we will be welcomed by the famous management house in German neo-Gothic style and the lovely little church. Optional visit to Pozzo Gal and the Mineral Museum managed by CEAS.
Distance of km. 10 - Uphill 400 m. - Travel time 4 hours
On the fourth day from Ingurtosu we go back inland through the mine roads to reach the charming mining village of Montevecchio.
This stage will be a real immersion in the world of the most important mine in Sardinia and its very rich mining sites.
We will visit the Casargiu, Amsicora and Sanna mines from the outside. Once in Montevecchio we will be welcomed by the graceful Art Nouveau shapes of the management house and the historic buildings of the mining village. Optional visit to the house of Direction or the Levante mines.
