Once upon a time, between the 19th and 20th centuries, silver was mined in mines that provided jobs and boosted the economy: a fifty-kilometer route from Sinnai to San Vito, passing through Burcei. An extraordinary paradise, nestled among rugged mountains, where Emiliano Franciosi, a Roman but a resident of Sinnai for 25 years, has created his documentary film. After being presented in Sinnai, it will be shown on January 8th in Burcei and a few weeks later, on a date to be determined, in San Vito, the town renowned for its silver, which was once mined in the Monte Narba mine.
Emiliano Franciosi is enthusiastic about it , even though he describes himself as "a simple enthusiast of hiking and documentary videography . I'm not a professional, but for some time now, out of passion, I've loved to use images to tell the story of those often forgotten places, yet of great historical and environmental value." The documentary was filmed on the 53-kilometer trail discovering the Via dell'Argento, from Mount Serpeddì (Sinnai) to Mount Narba in the San Vito area, where, from the early 19th century until a hundred years ago, silver was mined in large quantities. There are nine mines along this extraordinary route, with Emiliano Franciosi, a skilled cameraman, and featuring three Cagliari natives: Andrea Orrù, Marcello Corona, and Adriana Palmas, all lovers of the environment and in particular of this extraordinary site of Sarrabus Gerrei.
"The film," Franciosi explains, "is set in southeastern Sardinia, in the Sarrabus-Gerrei sub-region. Specifically, in the areas of Sinnai, Burcei, and San Vito. It leads us on a journey through a beautiful, often rugged and desolate landscape, where mining and human activity, starting in the 19th century, have left tangible traces of their presence. A journey that tells the story of Italy's most important silver mine ." The goal now is to promote tourism along the silver trail. "The Path of Saint Barbara" has been a success in Sulcis, and now the "Sarrabus Silver Trail" could do the same. All the right conditions are in place.
"One of my journeys," the hiker continues, "starts from the town of Sinnai by off-road vehicle to the Musui forest. Then I travel on foot along the mining trail to Monte Narba, between the Burcei and San Vito areas. The documentary film, which also included the participation of the students of the Sinnai library, aims to raise awareness of this wonderful area, and to promote the valorization of these places of memory, worthy of respect and greater interest ."
