There is a place in Sardinia where horses fly, and other stories

(by Chiara Venuto) Donkeys don't fly, but horses do. yes. In Sardinia there is one that floats on the viewpoint of a old mining settlement. It is called Bosano and it carries seven more carriages - no more, no less. Because he, in addition to fly, he can count. We are at the Norman Village, in the Gonnesa area, in Sulcis Iglesiente. Here, among pines and holm oaks, along a detour of the mining trail of Santa Barbara, live about forty people. Once, however, these were the homes of the technicians of the San Giovanni mine. The life of the highest in rank was comfortable: open-air cinema (of which a small house with three remains projector slots), tennis court, bowling alley. In summit, a clearing that once led to the path towards another mine, then it became an open-air landfill and now it is a place recovered by the Villaggio Association Normann. Here, in addition to the cultural events organized by the group of citizens, you can look at the panorama and observe the stars without worrying about light pollution. Right on that lookout there is a statue made of wood and scraps of mine that depicts Bosano. Its history is that of the animals that were lowered into the mine: forced into darkness, they carried the wagons and then, when they got old and could come back out, they went blind and died (or, more often, were killed). But Bosano was special. Meanwhile, precisely, he knew how to count: he recognized the sound of metal hooks and had decided that with more than seven loads it would not leave. miners at some point had learned to get around the limit avoiding making sounds, but this peculiarity of his was remained so much in the hearts of those who knew him that - absolute rarity - Bosano died of old age and was buried where today there is the belvedere. To remember it, the current inhabitants they recreated his face with a piece of wood taken from the sea, a little crooked, resembling a horse's muzzle. Above, a a hat that looks like Pinocchio's, made from a pipe of the mine, to represent the helmet that protected him from low ceilings. Behind him, 7 trunks like wagons, on which you can sit down and look out. "The miners in galena saw the stone. The technicians saw the treasure". These are the words of the former mayor of Iglesias, Pierluigi Paper, which lives and animates this area. The greatest effort, explains, is to make the community recognize the beauty beyond the everyday. Especially where one has lived with difficulty and pain. So, going down from the village and going towards the sea, another settlement that has been revalued today is discovered: that of the tuna fishermen. The work of the tuna fishery was as difficult as that of the miners: a massacre governed by a raìs from the boat with glass bottom. But the tuna traps have given - and still give, as in Carloforte - I work for entire families with a form of fishing which, in the end, is selective. Here they did it in one place beautiful, Porto Paglia. For those who want calm, this is a special place. A bit exclusive, sure. And to think that there there were 200 workers, the friars had the monopoly of cheese and tobacco and in the middle of the little square there was a underground cistern to collect water from gutters. Behind, the mountains are all gutted by the mines, but only the expert eye of those who know them sees it. Among the bushes on the path back from the beach can be seen the Sardinian helichrysum, sometimes suffocated by the Hottentot fig, which is an alien and invasive plant. Once you get in machine, as if by magic you go back in time. The destination is the Nuragic complex of Seruci: two hundred huts, in short, another village. Of course, dating back to the period between the 14th and 10th centuries BC. In this case we know less about the rituals and way of life of the community. Either because the excavations still need to be carried out or because of the fault of destruction and looting. During the wars of the twentieth century This area, almost completely buried, was used for to position the anti-aircraft. But there is one certainty: beyond the central nuraghe, with its decentralised tower and the charm of the trees bent by the mistral, the community was structured. Ad for example, you can visit a room where the leaders met. Or the room dedicated to bathrooms, with tub and fireplace. Attention, however, when you get close to the nuraghe well: inside there is Maria Farranca, a typical monster of the island who loves to steal the children. Sardinian history is rich, between myth and reality. And it still goes on back. Along the stone line, we head towards the Monte Arci. We set off again towards Pau, along the landscape straw yellow flocks of sheep can be seen hugging each other underneath to the trees, looking for a shade under the sun that is already June is beating down. The color of the dry grass is interrupted only by dark hair, fig leaves piled up at the corners, the lines of the fields perhaps burned by controlled fires. One realizes of the population density of Sardinia: low. And it is good like this. "Don't say black gold". This is one of the first warnings that It is done at the Obsidian Museum of Pau, the only one in Europe. But which in reality has only one other equal in the world, Nagano, Japan. Inside, you discover the value that obsidian has had in this region, where it was used since long before the Nuragic people. "Black gold is oil. Obsidian is something else," the guides explain. We learn that It is a very special stone: any blow leaves a mark all over the piece of obsidian, like a footprint digital. Thus, thanks to the most advanced technologies, it is possible discover the purpose of each processed fragment. Many scraps some ancient workshops are found right by going up the Arci, in a black path that is a small archaeological treasure. Woe to steal a fragment: it is illegal. Because the land in Sardinia gives so much and it must be protected. Even the miner who, as they say in Normann Village, he only sees the stone, deep down he knows it.