The Santa Barbara Cammino Mine Trail runs for 300 miles throughout the ancient land of Sardinia. Historical, cultural and religious elements along the route make for a riveting trip as you walk the trails miners trekked for millennia. The walk is divided into 30 “stages” which take into consideration areas with accommodations and points of interest where you might prefer to rest on your journey. More than 8,000 years of history contribute to the cultural heritage of this route and if you are under 35 years of age, you could sleep along the way for free.
The initiative called “Leg’s Go in Cammino” aims to introduce travelers to the territory surrounding the Santa Barbara trail. To participate you will need to obtain the “walker’s passport” from the Cammino di Santa Barbara Foundation at a cost of five euros. Following an online donation to the foundation’s website, you get three accommodation vouchers that can be used at designated stops along the route to sleep for free. Donation amounts are up to each traveler, there is no minimum requirement, but the foundation suggests taking into consideration the amount of nights you plan to stay when deciding on the value. For affiliated and available accommodations and tips on where to eat, check out the foundation’s website here.
If you want to complete the trail but are over the age of 35, you must pay the standard fee which is 20€ for the “Posadas” which are stays directly managed by the foundation, and 28€ for associated accommodations.
Check out the free app called Cammino di Santa Barbara for help organizing your hike. To start the walk, you must get their “passport” online from their official website or at their office locations, which costs 5€ and gets you permission to walk the trail as well as stamps from different municipalities and parishes and discounts at stops along the way. Ways to pay and other information can be found here.
For further information, contact the Cammino di Santa Barbara at +39 078 124132 Monday to Friday from 9:30 a.m. to noon and 2:30 p.m. to 4:00p.m. (Italian time) or visit their informative website at www.camminominerariodisantabarbara.org/en/. Valid 2024 vouchers can be used from January 15 to June 15, 2024 and from September 15 to December 15, 2024. — Danielle Abbazia
Photo of Nebida Mine along the Santa Barbara Cammino Mine Trail.
Photo credit: Mboesch, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons