Sardinia is a wonderful region, which gives unique sceneries and landscapes in the world. One of these is that of Porto Flavia, in the hamlet of Masua, in Porto Iglesias. Here lies an infrastructure that is among the greatest engineering prodigies of the early twentieth century, which blends with the wonderful surrounding natural context. Adjacent to it, in fact, is located one of the most beautiful beaches of the Sardinian region.
An architectural jewel immersed in the natural context
The beach of Porto Flavia gives tourists a glimpse of colors difficult to find in other places. The green of the pine forest, in fact, it merges with the sparkling blue of the sea and the heat white of the rock of the surrounding mountains. Dominating the site is one of the architectural works most sensational made in Italy in the twentieth century. The building that emerges from the mountain, in fact, is therevisible end of a huge tunnel complex underground. Its inventor and designer was theengineer Cesare Vecelli, who entitled the work to his own beloved daughter Flavia.
The structure presents two superimposed galleries carved into the rock. In the upper one, the extracted materials were downloaded after arriving via a Decauville railway (with prefabricated and easily removable tracks). The lower one, however, allowed workers to stow materials on ships by means of an extractable conveyor belt. For this reason, three galleries were present nine large silos capable of containing up to ten thousand tons of materials.
The innovation of Porto Flavia
The construction of Porto Flavia gave birth to an infrastructure of great importance for trade and the economy of the area. The Belgian mining company Veille Mountains, who owned the mines in the area, managed to reduce boarding costs. Until then, in fact, the materials were loaded by hand in small sailing boats (le racks) which were conducted to the warehouses on the island of San Pietro. This was backbreaking work for the miners, which they were subjected to inhuman rhythms. To testify their condition was Gabriele D'Annunzio who visited the site in 1882, in an era therefore prior to the construction of Porto Flavia.
The infrastructure is now obsolete. In the sixties, in fact, the site was submitted to the decommissioning due to abandonment progressive mining activity. As happened with many mining sites, at the end of the last century, it was decided to restoration Porto Flavia to make it a suggestive tourist destination.
The structure, moreover, is in contact with one of the most beautiful beaches of Sardinia. It is equipped with a verdant pine forest that develops around it. The area also offers a magnificent glimpse towards the stacks of Pan di Zucchero, a natural moment that reaches 132 meters, overlooking the coast. Natural wonders that blend with human intervention for give life to a unique place, to be discovered.
