The Mediterranean maquis
The Mediterranean maquis is a plant formation typically found in areas with a Mediterranean climate It is made up of shrubs and saplings that do not exceed the 5 metres in height. In Sardinia it covers vast areas and consists mainly of species such as: strawberry tree, heather, mastic, broad-leaved phillyrea, narrow-leaved phillyrea, thorny broom, Mediterranean buckhorn, tree spurge, etc. The maquis represents an important habitat for many animal species.
“Dispense” and the activities of charcoal makers
The word or place name “dispensa” indicates a site where there once stood a masonry construction used by charcoal makers which represented a centre forest activity, and an essential stage in transport by horseback or muleback, as the charcoal was stored here before leaving the forest on ox-drawn wagons or, in some cases, on small railhead cars. The proper name that sometimes accompanies the noun indicates instead the name of the woodland industrialists who used forests.
The set-up of these enterprises was simple but functional. Each enterprise consisted of a certain number of teams of charcoal burners (each consisting of 2-6 workers) who reported to the entrepreneur directly. There was a capomacchina, who was in charge of works, a capo imposto, who superintended piling of the charcoal and accounting, and a dispensiere who was responsible for rations and meals. The ruins of these old dispense, where the wood and charcoal were stored before their despatch, bear witness to the extensive cutting of the island’s forests between the end of the 19th century and the early decades of the 20th.
The Tafoni
Tafoni are natural cavities in the rock which can take the appearance of small holes, called alveoli, or larger cavities. This phenomenon is largely prevalent in certain types of rocks such as sandstone or granite. The tafoni, from the Greek word taphos (tomb) or the Corsican taffonare (to make holes), usually have smooth walls; they are found in all parts of the world, often in coastal areas or arid, desert zones.
Sardinia is the Italian region with the highest concentration of this geological formation. Several factors lead to the development of the tafoni: wind erosion (corrasion), chemical weathering from saline-rich sea spray, or the combined action of both factors. Other causes may be differences in the internal cohesion and permeability of sandstone rock, or the difference in length of dry and wet periods. These agents often give rise to fantastic shapes and beautiful natural sculptures. We have evidence of the use of the largest tafoni as dwellings or tombs from prehistoric times to the present day; indeed these cavities have revealed a rich store of cultural, material and ethnic contents.
