SGT
Sanctuary of Saint Barbara
In Villasalto, a small town in the Gerrei area, stands a place steeped in spirituality: the church of Santa Barbara, now a diocesan sanctuary. Built on a hill overlooking the town, it offers an extraordinary view of the Gennargentu and the Ogliastra hills. Its origins date back to the Middle Ages: mentioned in sixteenth-century documents, it was a parish church until 1600 and was rebuilt in 1905 on a pre-existing Byzantine structure.
According to tradition, Eastern monks founded it and introduced the cult of Saint Barbara, a highly venerated figure in the Eastern Mediterranean. The interior houses important artistic treasures, such as a 1557 altarpiece and precious sacred images on the altar. In 2015, the church was recognised as a diocesan sanctuary by the Archbishop of Cagliari, with the title of “Sanctuary of Saint Barbara, Virgin and Martyr of Nicomedia”.
For centuries, Saint Barbara, patron saint of miners, has been the focus of deep popular devotion, especially during the feast dedicated to her, which is celebrated on the first Sunday in June and attracts pilgrims from all over the island.
Su Suergiu Village and Industrial-Archaeological Museum of Mining Activity
Nestled in the greenery and rocks of the Rio Sessini valley lies the Su Suergiu mine, a symbol of Sardinian industrial archaeology and now part of the Historical and Environmental Geomineral Park of Sardinia. The name “Su Suergiu” derives from the cork oaks that populate the valley. Active from 1858 to 1987, it was the main Italian centre for the extraction and processing of antimony, a strategic metal for the war, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic industries. During the two world wars, the mine’s smelter produced 90% of the country’s antimony. An entire village grew up around the mine, complete with workshops, facilities, tunnels and accommodation. The beating heart was the Management Building, a refined Art Nouveau building, home to the current Archaeological-Mining Museum. Tools, machinery, minerals, photographs and testimonies of the miners’ lives are exhibited here. A fascinating journey that tells, through hard work and ingenuity, the stories of men, women, and children who were the protagonists of an intense era. The village also houses the canteen, the chapel with the bell tower, and several buildings now restored and used for hospitality.
Monte Genis Permanent Oasis
At 979 meters above sea level, Mount Genis—the third highest peak of the Sette Fratelli massif, and part of the Regional Park of the same name—dominates the landscape of Sarrabus-Gerrei, between Villasalto and Burcei. This granite mountain, sculpted by time, offers spectacular views: on clear days, the gaze sweeps from the Gennargentu to the sea, crossing valleys, hills, and forests. Today Mount Genis is a permanent wildlife oasis, closed to hunting, and a refuge for extraordinary biodiversity. Wild boars, foxes, martens, wild cats, mouflons, and Sardinian deer live among the holm oak forests, Mediterranean maquis, and pastures. It is also home to a rich birdlife with birds of prey such as the golden eagle, the peregrine falcon and the rare goshawk. The Sardinian cave salamander, an endemic amphibian in danger of extinction, finds refuge in the mountain’s caves. Mount Genis is the site of an ambitious project: the return of the griffon vulture, intruxu in Sardinian, a majestic vulture that has disappeared from this area for over 60 years. Thanks to the LIFE Safe for Vultures project, in collaboration with the Forestas agency, the University of Sassari, and other European partners, an acclimatization aviary and a feeding station for the controlled feeding of scavenger birds have been created.
The project also has strong educational and cultural value, with nature trails, picnic areas, and observation points to promote ecotourism and wildlife awareness.
