Buggerru developed around Malfidano mine. Lead and zinc were produced between 1870 and 1977 in Buggerru small town. The mine’s main building was Henry Tunnel. It enabled the use of a steam powered locomotive on a futuristic rail network which substituted the slow and troublesome journeys by mule. Through the small tunnels and passageways carved in the rock it is possible for all visitors to admire breathtaking views along the coast and sheer drops over the sea.
Buggerru beaches
Moreover Buggerru is well known for the beaches. On the southern promontory of Cala Domestica, from the top of a defense tower dating back to the 18th century, you will be enchanted by the hidden beach below and a firth which opens in the chalky cliffs: truly a Mediterranean pearl, whence until the 1940s the minerals from the local mining industries were dispatched and where the emerald-coloured water contrasts with the almost blinding whiteness of the sand. From the main beach, at the end of a mining gallery which you can walk through, the incredible smaller beach opens up. At some kilometers distance to the north, you come to the beach of Buggerru directly next to the village and the tourist port: here, too, lovers of water sports will find ideal winds and currents for exciting water adventures in addition to emotions arising from the mining landscape.
The itinerary continues towards San Nicolò and Portixeddu, whose extremely long beach of more than 3 km of golden sands takes us practically to the province boundary. Surrounded by dunes covered with junipers, oaks and domestic pines, the first stretch of San Nicolò beach, well known as a paradise for surfers.
FluminimaggioreNot far from Buggerru, in Fluminimaggiore all enthusiasts of speleology and geology can visit Su Mannau Caves. One of the best known and beautiful caves of Sardinia, in terms of its extraordinary length, over 8 km. The cave, which was used for the cult of water in pre-Nuragic times, was made by two small steams that created the imposing caverns and the beautiful calcites and aragonites over the course of thousands of years. Once you exit Su Mannau Caves, you can find a Roman Temple within the Antas Valley.
The temple of Antas used to be a Nuragic sanctuary which was initially dedicated to “Sid Babay” and then to the Roman Sardus Pater (III century B.C.). Sid Babay was the god of the Carthaginians, protector of hunters and seagoing men. The archaeological site has been found in XIX and recently restored. In plan and decoration there are several elements from the previous cultures. Stairs lead to the tetra style pronaos which is the entrance to the sacred cell of the temple.
The cell has mosaic floors while the walls were decorated by Ionic columns eight meters high.