Posts Tagged ‘tourism’

  • Orgosolo (Sardinia): A village happy without heroes

    Supramonte - Cantu a tenore.JPGAt Supramonte modern representations of shepherds' rustic residences can be rented.JPG

    Orgosolo - Mural 1.JPGOrgosolo - Mural 4.JPG

    At the end of the 19th century, the village of Orgosolo in Sardinia, was renowned across Europe as the ‘village of bandits’ because of its high rate of criminality. The locals, mainly shepherds and farmers, often felt oppressed by the national government and they passionately struggled to achieve their own idea of social justice and peace. It was about ten years ago that Orgosolo finally settled down to a more tranquil environment, and in fact only a few of the elders of this village have a clean police conduct. Nowadays, Orgosolo is popular with tourists for the colourful murals which adorn many of the facades of its buildings. Indeed, these paintings act as silent but eloquent witnesses of the historical, social and cultural transition of this place, even creating the impression of being in a living musuem. Meanwhile, for those visitors who would like to get closer to the locals, there is also the opportunity to join a group of Orgosolo shepherds with whom one can enjoy an exceptional lunch cooked in the traditional Sardinian way whilst relaxing in the spectacular scenery of this area.

    The village of Orgosolo is nestled amid the massive Supramonte mountain range in an area known as Barbagia. It is situated in the province of Nuoro, in the central part of Sardinia, in a zone which is quite isolated from other inhabited areas. In 1961, the Italian film director Vittorio De Seta presented the highly acclaimed film ‘Bandits of Orgosolo’ which aimed to portray a realistic representation of the arduous life of the locals of this village. The story shows how these people were further encumbered by their inherent mistrust of the State which was forcefully trying to expropriate their land; a situation which eventually encouraged the Sardinian banditry in the late 1800s. On the other hand, some other social critics insist that the high increase in criminality in Orgosolo was due to the Barbaricino code of honour which demanded revenge for any offence caused by others. Revenge meant that the guilty had to suffer the consequences for his act in a slightly higher proportion than the level of his offense. This situation finally culminated in a series of kidnapping incidents and in bloody fights which at times escalated to a number of deaths both on the police and on the locals’ side. However ultimately there came a time when most of the locals were tired of these bloodsheds and this subsequently brought this turbulent past to an end.

    At first hand, a walk around the village of Orgosolo will reveal an old and unimpressive set of buildings. And yet if one is aware of the history of this area, one cannot remain untouched by the multitude of murals and by the messages which they divulge. Curiously, the first mural painting in Orgosolo was created by a number of young anarchists from Tuscany. The rest of the murals were the idea of an Orgosolo art teacher, Francesco Del Casino, who decided to ask his students to transfer various posters that were commemorating the 30th anniversary of the anti-fascist resistance movement, onto the walls of the village houses. Certainly the main theme of most of these murals is protest and the short messages written on them, such as: “Felice il popolo che non ha bisogno di eroi” – Happy are those people who do not need heroes – demand attention and provoke much introspection. The present state of the old part of the village clearly reflect a situation of a humble standard of living. However, Orgosolo is the only village in central Sardinia which did not undergo a severe depopulation due to the crisis in the agrarian sector.

    Surely visitors will enjoy a more positive ambience of this area if they opt to attend to a lunch with some Orgosolo shepherds, such as those giving this service at Supramonte. Here one will find the shepherds preparing the food in the traditional Sardinian way; that is cooking meat of pork and sheep on long rods by means of fire. In the meantime, visitors will have the opportunity to get to know the other tourists which come from all parts of the world in order to enjoy this unique meal served by the shepherds themselves. The meal starts with generous portions of Sardinian bread, cheese, water and wine and then it continues with meat and traditional sweets which the shepherds produce for these occasions. The food is delicious especially when enjoyed on the benches located under the crisp fragrance of the forest trees. Indeed, when one thinks that the lunch has come to an end, a final surprise still awaits the visitors as the four shepherds suddenly leave everything behind and form a close circle, from where they start emitting loud and strange vocal sounds. In reality these intonations form part of a traditional style of shepherd folk singing known as ‘cantu a tenore’ which is characteristic to the Barbagian region of Sardinia. A sort of surrealistic atmosphere is created as the surrounding wide mountains reflect the echoes of the shepherds’ ancient chanting and create the illusion of going back in time. Well, for those visitors who would like to enjoy a longer stay with these locals, there is the option of renting the singular round small habitations which are a modern representation of the rustic houses that have sheltered these shepherds for so many long years against all odds.

    (This article was published in the Travel Section of The Sunday Times of Malta dated 15th December 2013)

    2013.12.15 / no responses / Category: Articles

  • Reliving the history of Buggerru (Sardinia)

    Buggerru - Galleria Henry.JPGBuggerru - walking through the tunnels.JPG

    Buggerru mines - walking along the tunnels at the cliffs' edge.JPGBuggerru - traces of copper.JPG

    The name itself, Buggerru, sounds unusual, and so is the location of this Sardinian coastal village which lies hidden deep behind the mountainous areas of the province of Carbonia-Iglesias, about 70 km northwest of Cagliari. One would think that such a place might have been quite isolated in the past but this was not the case since the rocks of this territory were highly rich in minerals. In fact in the 19th century, the heart of Buggerru’s cliffs was turned into a labyrinth of tunnels in the obsessive search to force out any precious materials that were available within the landscape. At first, both the locals and other Sardinians of the nearby villages thought that these mines were a godsend which would improve their standard of living. Indeed, their lives did change but for the worst, as life in Buggerru turned into an abusive and oppressive hell for many of the individuals working in this industry, even for women and children. Interestingly, Buggerru’s last mines closed down in 1980 and yet the locals have succeeded to sustain the mines’ economic potential by transforming some of them into tourist attractions, with the surviving miners acting as tourist guides of the site.

    A descending winding road surrounded by breathtaking mountainous scenery will lead you into the centre of Buggerru which in the last years has been flourishing as a significant port. The place is pretty small and at first hand it gives the impression of being mundane. However, once one reaches its mines and looks out at Buggerru’s huge cliffs which are splendidly surrounded with a bright azure sea, it will be immediately clear why this area has lately been used for a number of popular tv commercials. Surely, the present environment at Buggerru offers a remarkable spectacle to its visitors and this makes it difficult to realize that in the past, so many lives were shattered in this area.

    One of the most visited mines in this area is Galleria Henry. This tunnel is about one kilometre long and it was dug into the cliffs at fifty metres above sea-level. Galleria Henry was dug out in 1865 and it is particularly significant because it was created specifically in order to allow the introduction of a small train which could carry the excavated heavy minerals more efficiently. Prior to this mechanical invention, the transportation of this material was done by means of carriages which workers pushed along the way, either manually or with the help of mules.

    Tourists visiting this tunnel are led into its entrance wherein two ex-miners introduce them to the history of this place. With the aid of some old large photos which hang on the tunnel’s walls, the guides narrate quite vividly how life was in Buggerru, beginning from the day that this industry was created and ending right up to the period when these mines were closed down. In the 19th century, work conditions in these mines were miserable and contrary to other foreign workers who were assigned there, the Sardinian workers were shamefully underpaid and very ill-treated by the foreign owners of this business. In the process, even Buggerru’s landscape suffered from this cruel and selfish attitude as its forests were cut down in order to obtain wood to reinforce the tunnels’ walls, and later on to provide fuel for the train.

    September 1904 is a strong symbolic milestone in the location of Buggerru since during this period, a terrible incident took place in these mines and this resulted in significant and compelling changes that reverberated throughout the whole of Italy. It all happenned when the already austere regulations that were imposed on the workers were worsened even more as the mines’ directors ordered a further decrease in the workers’ interval of rest allowed during working hours. This was the last straw which the workers could tolerate and for the first time, they decided to join forces and to refuse to adhere to this new rule. In response, the directors requested the support of military soldiers and at one point, these fired at the protesting workers, killing three of them. As this horrifying news spread from village to village across Sardinia, the people retorted by uniting together in the first workers’ national strike which eventually led to the creation of the Italian tradeunionism.

    At the end of this staggering introduction, the visitors are invited to ride an old train that was used in these mines during the years when they were still operative. Even in summer, the tunnel is quite cold and ideally one should wear a jacket. The short trip along the dark tunnel is enjoyably unique as one can indulge in the opportunity to relive history for a brief moment. Children will surely find the train trip exciting as visitors are equipped with safety helmets and huge torches. The train stops in an open area where visitors can enjoy the magnificent views of Buggerru’s coastline and take some excellent photos. Then, the guides will lead the visitors back to the exit, though this time by walking through different tunnels which run impressively along the cliffs’ edges. Interestingly, it was this very landscape which terminated Buggerru’s mining industry, as the cliffs edges determined the limit of how much the mines could actually grow. Traces of copper lying on the walls and on the floors of these tunnels are still clearly evident and notwithstanding the beauty of the area, one can’t help remembering that these huge rocks that were dug out with great difficulty by the male workers, were then passed on to women, some of whom were even pregnant, in order to break them into smaller pieces, so that children could carry them in bags. Undoubtedly, very few visitors will remain untouched after getting to know about the history of this site and literally walking through it.

    Certainly Buggerru is the place for visitors who would like to explore a distinguished territory, coloured with adventure and enriched with the exclusive possibility of cherishing the locals’ historical collective memory right from its primary sources.

    (This article was published in the Travel Section of The Sunday Times of Malta dated 8th December 2013)

    2013.12.08 / no responses / Category: The Sunday Times - Articles