Arbus between the Costa Verde and mining history

Beaches, dunes and coastal landscapes

Spiaggia di Piscinas is a secluded beach with very high dunes of fine, golden sand. They are among the highest in Europe and continue to be shaped by the Mistral. Piscinas can be reached either via Guspini and the mining route or from Arbus towards Ingurtosu and then Piscinas. At Spiaggia di Funtanazza, you can expect light golden, medium-grained sand and shallow seabeds suitable for children to play in. South of Funtanazza as far as the Punta Sa Cabada Bianca turn-off, a geological route of exceptional importance with fossils runs along the coast. The seabeds off Capo Pecora are particularly appreciated by divers and spearfishing enthusiasts. The Oasi WWF di Scivu includes around 600 hectares of coastal landscape within the municipality of Arbus; the Nuraghe di Scivu is also located there. In spring, the Costa Verde also offers conditions for surfing, with waves that surfers can ride.

Mining history between Ingurtosu and Montevecchio

The abandoned mining village of Ingurtosu was formerly the administrative centre of the Ingurtosu and Gennamari mines. The Ingurtosu Mine and the Montevecchio Mine are each among the eight mining sites of the Parco Geominerario Storico Ambientale della Sardegna, which was recognised by UNESCO in 1997. Montevecchio is an important example of industrial archaeology and preserves mining warehouses, ore-processing facilities, shafts, workers’ and employees’ accommodation, as well as the management building. The village lies in a forest of holm oaks, downy oaks and cork oaks; Sardinian deer can reach the village there at dusk and dawn. The restored Pozzo Gal mining site houses a multimedia museum. The mining memorial museum there comprises five rooms and uses interactive video panels to tell the story of the miners and their families who worked and lived there. Pozzo Amsicora is a restored example of mining archaeology within the Telle mining site in the Montevecchio complex. The site also stands for local labour struggles: in 1991, around 86 workers occupied the shaft and remained there for approximately 27 days.

Museums, churches and historic buildings

The Museo del Coltello Sardo presents the heritage of Sardinian blades and the history of knife-making in four rooms. The visit includes films about knife-making techniques and guided tours during which Mastro Pusceddu occasionally makes a knife live. The Museo Etnografico Antonio Corda preserves the cultural heritage of rural life with objects, tools, furnishings and reconstructed traditional interiors. The Museo dei Diorami displays dioramas depicting life in mining in different eras and presents this content in a specially developed educational tour. At the Museo Mineralogico, you can see an extensive mineral collection, most of which comes from the Montevecchio Mine and is supplemented by specimens from other Sardinian, Italian and foreign mines. The archaeological site of San Lussorio includes Roman Imperial-era baths and a necropolis, as well as a cemetery and a church from the Spanish period dating back at least to the 17th century. The Chiesa di Santa Barbara in Ingurtosu was inaugurated in 1916 as a church dedicated to the patron saint of miners and has three naves and a bell tower. The Palazzo della Direzione Ingurtosu is a neo-medieval mining administration building constructed around 1870. In the centre of Arbus, the historically valuable Montegranatico is located in Piazza Immacolata. It houses the information centre and serves as a venue for numerous temporary exhibitions.

Mountains, trails and personal priorities

The 784-metre-high Monte Arcuentu is a volcanic massif with holm-oak forests and habitats for Sardinian deer, wild boar, birds of prey and other wildlife. Trekking is possible there on unpaved roads and paths, including on CAI Trail 192 from Montevecchio starting at the village of Sa Tanca. A Way of the Cross leads from the Chiesa di Santa Barbara along a path lined with Mediterranean vegetation to a natural rock formation with three Calvary crosses. To visit Pozzo Amsicora, you can contact CEAS Ingurtosu. CEAS organises nature-related and cultural excursions, manages museums and mining-archaeology sites, and provides tourist information in the mining villages of Montevecchio and Ingurtosu. This allows you to set the focus of your days, when choosing your hotel in Arbus, between the coast, mining history, nature and cultural sightseeing.

For further Sardinia planning, you can also explore Turri, Sardara, Villanovaforru, Lunamatrona, Ingurtosu, Sanluri, Gonnosfanadiga and Furtei.

For the higher-level travel overview: Medio Campidano.