In the middle of the 19th century, silver was being sought everywhere in the region around the town of Iglesias. The valuable metal was hidden in iron ore, barite and calcite, which was first mined and then washed. The mountains around the 424-meter-high Monte San Giovanni were literally hollowed out, mines were built everywhere, and the abandoned tunnels can still be seen today. The boom lasted until the 1960s, after which the deposits dried up and the mines ceased operations.
What remains - and this is something the off-road community is pleased about - are the tracks leading to the mines. Some in good condition, some in bad, and they are still more or less easy to drive on today. The less good tracks in particular are what make off-roaders lick their lips. Because they promise driving fun and thrills. One of these challenging routes leads from Gonnesa in an arc into the mountains and back again. Condition: sometimes wide and well graveled, sometimes narrow and rocky, sometimes very narrow and peppered with rough rubble and tricky curves. A celebration for experienced off-road specialists, but a dangerous adventure for beginners.
The track starts off quite harmlessly at the Monteponi station. A sign points the way to the path of the ancient mines. But after just a few kilometers the lane narrows, and rough stones, furrows and gullies throw themselves in front of the wheels. Side protection? None. But there are great views. Passing several dilapidated mining settlements, the route finally reaches the Onixeddu mine. The housing estate and facilities are still relatively well preserved, what is missing is life.
A few easy gravel switchbacks downhill bring us to the valley of the Riu Sibasca, which ends on asphalt at the entrance to Gonnesa.
German
Italy
