Itinerary 301 - Portoscuso - Bacu Abis - Iglesias - Nebida - Masua
Stages 29 – 30 – 01 – 02
What other walkers say
Stage 29
Total Length: 18,9 km
Difficulty by Foot: Hard
Travel times: 6 hours and 30 minutes
Climb up: 459 m
Climb down: 386 m
From the culture and economy of the sea, you will return to the land of mines by walking along the spectacular volcanic cliffs of the south-west coast to reach the Bacu Abis mine, where mining activity began in the Sulcis coal basin.
While admiring the beauty of the coastal landscape, with a panorama reaching as far as the limestone cliffs of Masua, you will move from the industrial archaeology of the Seruci mine to the classical archaeology of the Nuragic settlement with the same name, retracing 3,500 years of history in just a few kilometres.
Stage 30
Total Length: 14,7 km
Difficulty by Foot: Medium
Travel times: 5 hours
Climb up: 491 m
Climb down: 386 m
With this last stage, you will return to the starting point of the entire Trail.
Over 40% of the route runs along the railway tracks from Iglesias to Calasetta and from Monteponi to Portovesme.
The alternative route towards Seddas Moddizzis, which lengthens the stage by about 9.5 km, allows to visit a remarkable example of industrial archaeology, including the San Giovanni mine, from whose galleries you can access the splendid Santa Barbara cave.
A further alternative is to cover the last 2.3 km of the stage following the route of the ancient procession from Monteponi to Iglesias.
Stage 01
Total Length: 21,0 km
Difficulty by Foot: Medium
Travel times: 7 hours
Climb up: 753 m
Climb down: 797 m
ATTENTION
There is a detour due to work in progress on the path after the Monastero del Buon Cammino, temporary signs are already present on site.
As of this first stage, we are walking on the most ancient limestone-dolomite rocks in Italy, on big deposits of lead, zinc and silver that have been the subject of intense mining activity for centuries. Straight away we are immersed in the great cultural, environmental and religious heritage of Sardinia.
From the medieval city of Iglesias to the town of Nebida, we encounter chapels, churches and places of worship dedicated to the patron saint of miners.
The passage in the sanctuary of the Madonna del Buon Cammino gives this first day a particular spiritual meaning.
On the average this stage is demanding, not so much for the length, as for the two uphill stretches that must be climbed in the first part of the walk in order to reach the Buon Cammino hilltop (341 masl) and the excavations of Cungiaus (323 masl).
Stage 02
Total Length: 9,3 km
Difficulty by Foot: Medium
Travel times: 3 hours and 20 minutes
Climb up: 371 m
Climb down: 500 m
From the start of this stage we overcome some challenging ups and downs and immerse ourselves in the beauty of the coastal landscape until we reach the limestone cliffs of Masua.
The brevity of the route leaves time for visits to the extraordinary structures of industrial archaeology, from the Laveria Lamarmora to the great mining engineering work of Porto Flavia, built on the cliffs.
Here, along with the magnificent coastal landscape, you can admire the colours and structures of the geological formations that tell the story of the evolution of the earth’s crust in Italy’s oldest land.
Please note that there are not food shops, bars or restaurants in Masua. The owner of the hostel (the only accommodation facility) can provide you with everything you need on arrival, please ask for information when booking.
WHERE TO SLEEP IN GONNESA, IGLESIAS AND NEBIDA
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