Events and News

From the tower of Sa Mora the irregular spot of the Pond of Sal'e ’Porcus flattens into a strip, and the rows of houses of S’Arena Scoada almost touch the banks in the splendid deception of perspective. Looking back over the coast, the Mediterranean scrub alternates with fields of hay and wheat. The irregular edge of the pond of Sa Salina Manna becomes a blue circumference lapped by Putzu Idu and Mandriola. The ancient stones of the tower light up when the rising mistral moves the thin blanket of clouds and the sea in the beginning of a wave.

The stage 56 of the "Way of the hundred towers" started from the rural church of S. Lorenzo. Andrea and Marta of the riding club S. Lorenzo, riding Romolo and Tradita, lead the line. The small dog Yalla follows them faithfully, between one digression and another to rummage through the bushes. Then Paolo, Stefano, Ausilia and Alessandra, the essential on the their shoulders and the trekking poles following the steps’ rhythm.

"The idea was born on the return journey from Santiago, four years ago. Stefano Paderi and I were in the Muravera beach, facing the Tower of the Ten Horses. We were getting bored, so we decided to take a long walk to Torre Salinas, which overlooks the coast, several kilometers away. At the top we asked ourselves: how many towers are there on the Sardinian coast? One hundred and five distributed over 1284 kilometers" recollects Nicola Melis, president of the “Cammino 100 Torri" association, which has recently begun its collaboration with MEDSEA. In the months preceding the official institution Nicola, Stefano and Roberto Contu used every weekend to travel 800 kilometers along the Sardinian coasts, joining the towers segment by segment. Never leave the sea for more than two kilometers. Eight routes inspired by the ancient Spanish defensive system, such as the Via del Martirio from Capoterra to Villamarina, the Via delle Miniere from Giba to Sant'Antonio di Santadi, and that of the Giants, which continues up to Bosa via the Oristano and the six Ramsar sites of the MARISTANIS Project.

Nicola and Stefano left April 25 from Cagliari for another "all round", the complete lap that will engage them until June 22. The other members of the association join them for one of the itineraries, or a handful of stages. "The aim is to make a system out of it, a tradition, and to make walkers independent. In the Alghero area at this very time two Englishmen have embarked on the journey, step by step stamping our passport. Frank, a Belgian at his first experience as a walker, completed the tour last year. Now he has arrived in Jerusalem", Melis continues. The “passport” is purchased online, and the boxes are filled along the way by the numerous service providers involved in the project, such as campsites, B&Bs, restaurants, bars, sports equipment stores. The travel document guarantees a discount, and the "walker's credentials", finally, allow to obtain the certificate of the journey. Eight certificates give the final of the “all round” document. Of course, if during the check on social media the association does not stumble in irregularities, like the abandonment of plastic and other waste.

The fellowship continues on the sandstone and limestone path, embedded in the red-yellow multitude of poppies and daisies. World War II bunkers and the crumbling structure of a small lighthouse. Then the vertigo of the Tower of Capo Mannu overlooking the spectacle of the crystalline sea, the beaches of Su Pallosu and Sa Rocca Tunda in the distance. Everything has been geo-referenced, fountains, pharmacies, medical guards, accommodation facilities, the incredible cultural heritage of the 186 rural churches studding the path. Soon it will be possible to buy the travel guide, printable in its “cartographic half”, online for the rest of the information. Lightness in movement, and care for the environment. "In three years we would like to be able to simultaneously involve a hundred people on the journey. We have a huge heritage and knowledge to protect, develop sustainably and share with Sardinian, Italian and European walkers" concludes Melis. The pilgrims will continue today up to Nurapolis, where there will be "Cueva" waiting, the logistic support camper that became necessary last year, when the group was at times composed by forty people. After having placed the tents in the camping the time for resting will come, a rub of the socks, a simple dinner cooked in the essential kitchen extracted by Cueva. Chatter to melt the long silences of the day, the inner miracle gathered in the slow crossing of beauty. Nicola, Stefano and the others will be joined for tomorrow's stage by the autistic boys of "Diversamente Onlus", coming from Cagliari. Another day amidst the hardships and awe of the "periplo", in the ancient Greek literature the description of sea ports, the essential indications for navigation, the news on the traditions, religion and politics of the peoples living in the communal Mediterranean house.