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Trenino Verde – Green Train from Mandas to Laconi
Trenino Verde – Green Train from Mandas to Laconi
At the discovery of the historic region of Sarcidano, in the green heart of Sardinia.
The adventure begins on a historic train from the 1950s in Mandas, an agro-pastoral centre that was once the capital of a Duchy. The train departs from the station at 9 and heads towards the town of Isili.
Twenty minutes after departure, and shortly after Isili, we make our first stop at the Nuraghe Is Paras, which is only a five-minute walk from the railway. Is Paras is a trilobite nuraghe, including a triangular bastion with three towers at the corners; it is one of the largest in Sardinia and it is located strategically to dominate the underlying territories to the West. After our guided tour at the Nuraghe, we board the train again and continue our trip.
The landscape becomes scenic right away: on the left, we see the Lake Is Barroccus, with the old San Sebastiano Church on the top of a little island in the middle of the lake. Through tunnels, bridges and trenches, we quickly reach the historic station of Sarcidano, where we make a five-minute stop to admire the building and the pretty old wagons that were used to carry minerals from a nearby mine in the past.
Our trip continues towards Nurallao, where we stop for coffee and drinks at the station, which has been fully restored and hosts a bar-café. We then head to our final and main destination, Laconi.
At the picturesque station of Laconi, you will be welcomed by local railwaymen and then guided through the many archaeological and naturalistic beauties in town. These include the Museum of the Menhir Statues, on the ground floor of the 19th-century Town Hall, which hosts 40 monoliths, pottery, obsidian tools and metal objects ranging from the Early Neolithic to the Early Bronze period. For those interested in religious tourism, you can also visit the house where Saint Ignatius of Laconi was born. The Park Aymerich, with its waterfalls and majestic trees, is the naturalistic highlight of the trip. The park hosts the remains of the Aymerich Castle, which was built in the Middle Ages. From the ramparts of the Castle, you will enjoy an amazing view of the underlying valley and forest, as well as of the Giara and other areas of central Sardinia. At the park, you can also rest and eat your lunch (there are picnic areas), unless you select the optional lunch that will be prepared at a nearby restaurant. At 5 pm, we leave again for Mandas, where we will arrive at around 6:30 pm.
Other Infos: we recommend that you spend the night before departure in Mandas, in one of the local Bed & Breakfasts: BB Mitzixeddas (+39 3491313094), http://www.booking.com/hotel/it/b-amp-b-mitzixeddas.it.html BB Antica Locanda Lunetta (+39 3493607889) www.anticalocandalunetta.com BB Antica casa Pasolini (+39 0709879009) www.anticacasapasolini.it If you do not have your own car, you can reach Mandas by train or bus from Cagliari. On Sunday morning, you need to take a connecting train from Monserrato station, in the outskirts of Cagliari, which leaves at 7 am. From Cagliari city center, you can get to Monserrato station by taking a tram that departs from Piazza Repubblica at 6:20 am. To return from Mandas to Cagliari in the evening, you can take a bus that stops just outside the station of Mandas at 7:20 pm – it will take you straight to Cagliari center.
The Green Train
The Green Train is not just a train, but one of the best ways to experience the unspoiled landscapes of the island, through fascinating routes in the heart of Sardinia, in a timeless journey that will captivate you.
“Little Train" because it uses a narrow-gauge line.
"Green" because of the long stretches of wild landscapes through which the train travels where you feel the presence of man and the green of the woods surrounds the train on its way. "It's a strange railroad. I would love to know who built it. Zipping up the hills and down the valleys and around sharp bends with the utmost nonchalance, not as they do the real, major railways, advancing grunting in deep trenches and while polluting the air in the tunnels, but runs up a hill as a small dog panting, and looks around, and part in another direction shaking us behind him with great indifference. This system is much more fun than in tunnels and trenches. » (David H. Lawrence, Sea and Sardinia, 1921)