Pau: Obsidian, Churches and Nature on Monte Arci

Pau is a place where obsidian, sacred architectural history and wooded paths offer different ways to discover the area. For planning your trip, a specialised museum combines with historic sites, nature trails and a local ingredient. The common thread is the volcanic material that can be seen in Pau in museums, former processing sites, along paths and in religious symbols.

Obsidian as a special focus

The Museo dell’Ossidiana di Pau is the only museum in Sardinia and Europe dedicated to obsidian. This makes a visit to the museum a clear cultural highlight if you are interested in geology, craftsmanship and the history of a material. The Museo dell’Ossidiana “Carlo Lugliè” also offers educational workshops for families and all age groups. This means that a museum visit can also be planned as a shared experience for people with different interests and levels of knowledge.

The Parco dell’Ossidiana is part of the setting surrounding this subject. It is located in Area No. 1 of the Monte Arci Historical and Environmental Geomining Park. The Sennixeddu workshop was identified in 1956 as a prehistoric obsidian-processing site. In addition, the obsidian-processing workshops in the Pau area are currently considered the best-documented centres for processing the material near its places of origin. Culture enthusiasts will therefore find several concrete links here between the landscape, early processing and present-day interpretation.

Churches and rural architectural history

The Church of San Giorgio in Pau was rebuilt at the end of the 19th century over the collapsed Gothic church dating from the 17th century. Its architectural history therefore points to an older sacred building and to the changes the place has undergone over time. The rural Church of Santa Prisca also offers a clearly identifiable architectural detail: it stands in the village of Argioleddas in the Pau area and has three naves, reflected in the three openings of the entrance portico.

If you view churches not only as individual sights but also as part of local history, San Giorgio and Santa Prisca complement the obsidian focus with a religious and architectural perspective. The two buildings emphasise different aspects: San Giorgio represents the rebuilding over an older church, while Santa Prisca shows the recognisable connection between its internal layout and entrance portico.

Paths on Monte Arci

The paths of “Un Bosco da Fiaba” are suitable for walks. They are easy to walk and suitable for all age groups. Their route runs in the shade of holm oaks and cork oaks on the eastern slope of the volcanic Monte Arci massif. This gives this part of Pau a different travel experience from the museum and churches: the focus is not on the collection or building, but on the forest, the hillside location and the character of the path.

The black Scaba Crobina path is characterised by extensive deposits of rubble and old remnants of obsidian processing. These visible traces connect the paths with the material that defines the area. When planning your visit, you can therefore choose between an easy forest path and a landscape where rubble and remnants of earlier processing determine the character of the route.

Faith and local cuisine

Near the Giuanni Corrias pine forest stands an image dedicated to the Madonna Nera d’Oropa. Believers use large obsidian fragments as a sign of their faith and gratitude. Here, obsidian appears not as a museum or craft subject, but as part of a religious expression. Pipadra, tomatoes dried and preserved in oil, is considered an ingredient for some local dishes in Pau and adds a culinary connection to the cultural impressions.

Planning visits and accommodation in Pau

After being contacted, the Museo dell’Ossidiana organises educational trips as well as visits for groups or families; admission tickets can be purchased as part of this. When choosing accommodation in Pau, you can therefore first decide on your personal focus: should the museum, prehistoric obsidian processing, churches, forest paths or the combination of culture and local cuisine shape your stay? The verified topics provide concrete guidance without requiring you to limit yourself to just one way of exploring the area.

More destinations

More destinations: Tresnuraghes, Arborea, San Vero Milis, San Giovanni Di Sinis, Putzu Idu, Ghilarza, Mogoro and S'arena Scoada.

To the main travel overview: Oristano.