From Monte Scorra to Funtana Coperta (D-315)

Validation level Percorribile

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Trail summary

Path lenght 3.100 m

Time lenght 1 hour

Difficulty level More infos sui gradi di difficoltà Intermediate-high difficulty (E-level)

Activities and warnings

Pathways Activities

Avvertenze e pericoli

The pathway

Normann trail network

Entirely created by volunteers, supported by the Forestas Agency and the Cagliari branch of CAI, this small network connects several miners’ villages: Monteponi, Monte Agruxiau and Monte Scorra, as well as Nebida, Bindua, San Giovanni Miniera and the beautiful Asproni Miners’ Village as well as Monte Onixeddu and the Normann Village itself. The network also connects a series of mining structures rich in history: Laveria Galletti, forno Sabatini, Pozzo Baccarini, Laveria vecchia, the extraordinary Santa Barbara shaft (also known as ‘Sa macchina beccia’) along a route disseminated with evidence of the area’s mining history (wells, tunnels, ropeway conveyors, decauville (animal-towed mining railway), tracks, chimneys, drinking troughs and stables for mine animals).

More than 40 km of cycling and hiking routes, ranging in difficulty from ‘tourist’ to ‘experienced hiker’, extending to the borders and mining remains of the territories of Gonnesa and Iglesias - extraordinary places with a wealth of geological, speleological, naturalistic but also archaeological (e.g. medieval mines) and anthropological heritage. A true ‘summary’ of the attractions offered by the Geo-mining, Historical and Environmental Park of Sardinia.

These routes will allow you to explore the places where thousands of workers lived in the 3 well-known villages: Normann was inhabited by managers and clerks (built in the early 1900s and already equipped with plumbing systems for water supply and waste water) - S.Giovanni miniera, the miners’ village, built by Gonnesa Mining Company Limited, Pertusola Limited (later taken over by Piombo Zincifera Sarda) and finally Bindua Ceramica, where other miners independently built very humble huts.

In the 1930s this whole landscape was completely barren, due to intensive mining exploitation that involved tree felling: today the holm oak wood has regained ground, strengthening the unstable slope, together with sparse Aleppo pine stands (from reforestation projects).

The territory

The territory of Normann lies on the slopes of Monte San Giovanni (formerly known as Monte Barlao). If offers a splendid diverse landscape, a gem brimming with old stories, which have reemerged thanks to the passion of the inhabitants of this small hamlet, with the logistical and financial support of the municipalities of Iglesias and Gonnesa. The Sardinia Trail Network (RES) is the thread that links together ancient routes, on which the miners used to walk to go to church, take the train, or go to town on their few free days. Some of the tails follow the old narrow-gauge FMS railway line that connected Calasetta to Gonnesa and Iglesias (Monteponi scalo). Part of this route is also shared with that created by the Santa Barbara Mining Trail Foundation, which forms part of the larger Sardinia Trail Network.

Special features

This hiking area is characterised by limestone formations, including limestone pavements (recalling on a smaller scale the formations in Supramonte). It offers expansive views ranging from Carloforte to the peaks of Gutturu Mannu, from the Linas-Marganai massif, to the plain of Cagliari... wonderful sights, which can only be fully appreciated in person.

Useful informations

WARNING: ROUTE IS PENDING REGISTRATION

As of May 2023, the operator managing this network is completing the installation of signs on the route. Final pre-registration checks are in progress.

Risk factors to watch out for

The route does not cross any areas owned by IGEA, which, after the Ente Minerario Sardo (Sardinia Mining Agency) was dissolved by Regional Law 33/1998, was appointed to manage the activities for the safety, environmental restoration and remediation of abandoned or soon to be closed mining areas and facilities, in accordance with the policies and guidance from its sole shareholder, the Autonomous Region of Sardinia (Department of Industry).
However, there are risk factors specifically related to the presence of the ruins of the miners’ Village of Montescorra and the crossing of former mining areas. The hazards along this route are the old mine structures and the ruins of the Village. Outside the route there can be mining waste dumps, tunnels, mine shafts and excavations, with the risk of material collapse, rockfalls, falling inside the mine shafts or excavations, and ingestion of or skin contact with mine waste materials.

RULES OF CONDUCT TO BE OBSERVED DURING THE HIKE

Keep the risk factors in mind. Do not stray from the marked path, due to the presence of the above-mentioned dangers. Respect the safety signs on the buildings, do not tamper with the fences and gates around mine sites and do not go near and/or enter the buildings; do not handle materials from mine waste dumps. Do not go near unfenced mining structures. DO NOT RELY ONLY ON THIS INFORMATION to plan your excursion. We recommended that you always contact authorised guides or experts of the area to guide you along the trail if you are not familiar with the places.

Trail details

This trail takes about 55 minutes and is one of the trails connecting hiking sector D3 to D5, located in the municipal territory of Gonnesa in the ‘Normann network’; it connects Trail 313 to the sub-network of the Normann Village and Monte S. Giovanni, connecting the hiking territory of Iglesias with that of Gonnesa.
The intermediate stop point is the Baccarini well. In the main direction of travel, the route is mainly downhill (sum of elevation gains is less than 100 m), while in the opposite direction (from Funtana Coperta towards Monte Scorra), the total elevation gain doubles (about 200 m).
The village of Monte Scorra can be reached on foot from Monte Agruxiau or from Nebida along Trail 313. Trail 315 branches off from Trail 313 below the village and descends quickly southwards along a natural drainage basin.

Intersections with other Normann Network routes

At the starting point (near the dirt road of the Monte Scorra miners’ village) Trail 315 intersects with Trail 313 (which starts from Monteponi and Nebida)
at the end point, near Funtana Coperta, Trail 315 intersects with Trail 513 (from F.Coperta to Gonnesa);
at the end point, near Funtana Coperta, it also intersects with Trail 513-A (Laveria Vecchia - old ore processing plant).

The Normann Village

This hamlet is named after the engineer who discovered an important mineral deposit here in the late 19th century. With the advent of new mining techniques, the San Giovanni mine moved further downhill and in the first two decades of the 20th century the site was used to build accommodation for the mine’s overseers and managers. At present, the village is inhabited by some 20 families, who care for it and organise cultural and environmental initiatives, while waiting for public intervention to renovate and reuse the old abandoned buildings.

Roadbook

Trail 315 branches off from Trail 313 below the village, near Monte Scorra, and descends quickly southwards along a natural drainage basin. This stretch, which has an uneven surface due to rainwater erosion, leads downhill to a gorge known as canale Baccariu, lying between Monte Meu and Monte Arbu. The imposing outline of an old brick kiln, known as forno Sabatini or ‘su forru’e Sabadini’, takes us back to the times when the mines buzzed with activity and produced much of what they needed on site: here the limestone was calcined to make the lime necessary for the ore processing plants. By means of a system of hoppers and mine carts, the lime was loaded onto the trains of the private railway that connected Monteponi to Portovesme, slightly below the kiln, which ran parallel to State road SS 126 and the other FMS (public) railway.