The Fire Tour

During our Fire Tour we will discover the many fire symbols that dot Sardinia as if inside a delightful and iridescent casket.

The itinerary starts with the so-called Devil’s Saddle in Cagliari, a name linked to the legend that Lucifer, during an epic battle in the skies above Cagliari, was thrown from his horse by the angels and fell to the promontory of Sant’Elia and gave it its present shape.

The Castle of Acquafredda in Siliqua is also linked to the fire of eternal torment which, according to tradition, was built by Count Ugolino della Gherardesca, who Dante Alighieri banished to the IX circle of Hell (XXXIII Canto).

From the fire of the underworld to the sacred fire of the Holy Spirit that inspired the construction of numerous churches, the journey continues with a visit to the Byzantine church of Sant’Elia di Tattinu, before arriving in Sedilo, the town which hosts the Ardia, the unbridled horseraces in honor of St. Constantine, who put an end to the persecution of Christians.

The fire that feeds passion, on the other hand, is found in the tombs of the giants, common burials whose shape often evoke a bull, a symbol of fertility.

The spectacular desert-beach of Piscinas, brilliant in its yellow-ocher reflections and known above all for its high sand dunes, evokes the fire that heats.

And we will not forget Monte Arcuentu, born from an ancient volcano and therefore the son of fire – a location where a well-known local friar, Fra Lorenzo, isolated himself in prayer – and linked to the legend that it was the home of the famous cogas, the witches.

Fire also means heat, the same one that many men breathed in the mines, now converted to museums in which we will learn, in addition to historical mining in our region, the history of the people who, in these mines, lived out their entire lives.

Finally, how can we not neglect the island’s rich food and wine tradition?
The fire that men have used since its discovery to not only heat himself, but also to cook his food.

For this reason, we will immerse ourselves in a culinary workshop to prepare some of the traditional dishes of our land and taste some typical products such as the “fil’e ferru”, the famous Sardinian grappa, also nicknamed abba ardente (“burning water”), due to its high alcohol content.