Page 127 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Sardinia

THE WESTERN C O AST  125

5 Argentiera
Road map B2. * 70.
Many places in Sardinia still
carry reminders of the island’s
former mining industries. At
Argentiera, not far from the
modern town of Palmadula, the
ancient Romans, and the Pisans
in the Middle Ages, dedicated
themselves to mining the
precious metal that gave its
name to the area (argento
means silver).
In the 19th century, mining
The barren cliffs on the island of Asinara complexes, with wooden and
masonry buildings, were
4 Parco Nazionale endemic albino donkey, after constructed along the coast,
dell’Asinara which the island so that the mined silver could
must have been then be transported by sea
Road map B1. n 079 50 33 88. named (asino to other destinations,
& 8 compulsory.
∑ parcoasinara.org meaning where it could
donkey). be processed and
This rugged island, once home The rocky, eventually sold.
to the Fornelli maximum- volcanic terrain A number of
security prison, became a sup ports a ambitious
National Park in 1997. Asinara is holm oak restoration and
less than 18 km (11 miles) long forest, and restructuring
and 7 km (4 miles) wide and the typical projects, many of
ends at the headland of low-level which are yet to
Scomunica. The island’s maquis be completed,
ecosystem is unique in the brush shields have changed
entire western Mediterra- numbers of the face of the
nean and includes rare or rare plants. town, but it still
endangered animal species. As a pro - Albino donkey remains one of the
In fact, the pristine coastline tected area, the island from Asinara most fascinating
and lack of traffic on its 51 sq cannot be visited examples of industrial
km (19 sq miles) make Asinara unaccom panied. Day boat trips archaeology in Sardinia.
an ideal refuge for raptors, start at Stintino and Porto In the summer, the tranquil
various species of sea birds, Torres. Tours are by bus, on foot bay at Argentiera, with its
moufflons and wild boar. There or, for the most compre hensive, crystal-clear water, is a great
is also a rare species of small by offroad vehicle. favourite with visitors.

The old mine buildings at Argentiera

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