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Great Continental Railway Journeys Season 9 Episode 2
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Short filmTranscript
00:01I'm embarking on a new series of railway journeys, exploring Europe's most
00:08beautiful and historic regions. Oh, we're about to set off.
00:14From Belgium. Oh, I'm loving this.
00:20To Hungary. Oh, this is amazing. And the islands of Sardinia.
00:29Fantastic. And Corsica.
00:34I'll enjoy nature, history, culture and fun in some of Europe's most enchanting places.
00:44I am looking forward to a tremendous railway adventure.
01:06I'm exploring the beautiful Western Mediterranean island of Sardinia with its stunning sandy beaches and dramatic hilltop villages.
01:16Today, I'm venturing inland towards the mountains.
01:21I'll investigate a civilization thousands of years old that bequeathed to the isle its conical architecture.
01:29On a long, leisurely train ride, I'll enjoy the green interior of Sardinia.
01:36And I'll experience something called agriturismo, which broadly translated means a wonderful warm welcome in a rural farmhouse.
01:52I began my journey in Cagliari, the island's capital, with its many layers of history.
01:58From there, I explored the rugged beauty of the island's southwest coast and its historic mining heritage.
02:04Today, on my journey to the highlands, I'll travel on a scenic narrow-gauge railway known as the Trenino Verde,
02:12the little green train.
02:14Using regional lines, I'll move through towns and villages towards the north coast, from where I'll cross the sea to
02:20Corsica.
02:34I'm heading north from the Cagliari, following in the footsteps of writer and poet D.H. Lawrence.
02:43In 1921, he took this singletrap line at the start of a journey right across the island.
02:49Lawrence felt strong affection for Sardinia, and at Mandas Station, it seems that the feeling is mutual.
02:58It's interesting, this plaque in the station.
03:01Looking out, I could hardly believe my eyes.
03:05Mandas was so similar to England, to Cornwall in its most barren parts, or to the peaks of Derbyshire.
03:14And that's written by D.H. Lawrence.
03:16Here, Mandas, on the 6th of January, 1921.
03:22Today, the charming little station features a bust of Lawrence commemorating his stop in Mandas during his inquisitive exploration of
03:30the island.
03:34Dotting the landscape around the town are a number of unusual stone structures.
03:39These are nuraghe, remnants of an ancient civilization unique to Sardinia.
03:46Nine miles northwest of Mandas is one of the best-preserved examples on the island, Sunaraxi de Baroumini.
03:55I'm meeting Lorena Medda.
03:57Lorena, hello, I'm Michael.
03:59Nice to meet you, Michael. Welcome to Baroumini.
04:02What a pleasure to be here.
04:03I've been looking forward to this visit and I've seen photographs, but nothing prepares you for the reality.
04:09This is spectacular.
04:11What are these buildings?
04:12Nuraghi are very particular buildings built only in Sardinia during the Bronze Age.
04:18So, you know, more than 3500 years ago.
04:22What does this word nuraghi mean?
04:24Nuraghi mean cavity or pile of stones.
04:27These round buildings we're seeing here, are these dwellings?
04:31Yes.
04:32They are part of the village developed all around the nuraghi.
04:38Because an nuraghi in its simple shape was a tower, a megalithic tower.
04:43In this case you have a complex consisting of several towers, so pretty close to a castle.
04:49It was 20 meters high and consisting of three rooms placed one up and the other.
04:55Extraordinary.
04:55Is this a defensive system here?
04:58Are these people worried about being invaded and attacked?
05:01Probably there were conflict among people who lived in Sardinia.
05:07So, against the neighbors.
05:10Because people were organizing to tribes during the Bronze Age.
05:15They defended very rich lands, very fertile lands near the rivers.
05:21So, they were often in conflict for possession of those very important lands.
05:33If attacked, the people who lived here could retreat into this Bronze Age castle.
05:41This is a very impressive building.
05:43Huge stones.
05:45Yes.
05:46This is one of the oldest towers being part of the defensive wall.
05:50Provided with two rows of arrow slits that they could reach by a wooden platform that divided into two floors
05:59this first room.
06:01So, they could dominate the territory and defend the riches of the community.
06:07And here you can see the walls of these noragi.
06:13Dry stone walls.
06:14So, they didn't use any mortar to join stones, but only some smaller stones, some wages.
06:21Ah, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes.
06:22And this is basalt, a volcanic rock.
06:27Very heavy, very strong rock.
06:30So, you know, three meters thick of walls, so very impressive buildings.
06:36In a landscape dominated by natural conical hills, this remarkable structure was hidden under debris for centuries.
06:46Until it was rediscovered by a Sardinian archaeologist who'd known this site since he was a boy.
06:53The professor Giovanni Liliu came from Barumini, the village near here.
06:59So, you know, when he was young, they came here to play with his friends.
07:04So, this hill belonged to family friends.
07:08So, from an early age, he was fascinated about this place.
07:12So, when he became archaeologist, he managed to bring to light this area.
07:18I may ask you, as a Sardinian, what does this mean to you, this site?
07:24This is our history.
07:27We are very proud of them because when the other people lived in huts or stilt houses in Sardinia,
07:36you know, people was able to build very impressive buildings like this one.
07:42So, we are talking about the most advanced civilisation of the Western Mediterranean Sea.
07:55These spectacular and strongly built structures inspire admiration for the people who created them.
08:02The artefacts that they crafted are awe-inspiring too.
08:06In the centre of the village, archaeologists have set up a laboratory
08:10where beautiful objects are being painstakingly reassembled.
08:15Here, clearly, fragments, which are of great historic significance and importance,
08:21are being pieced back together.
08:24And those who are doing the work have extraordinary expertise,
08:29combined with the patience of a jigsaw puzzle maker.
08:33One of them is archaeologist Gianfranca Salis.
08:37Gianfranca. Hello.
08:40Hello.
08:40Hi Michael, hello.
08:42Allora, what do we have here?
08:44Che cosa abbiamo qui?
08:46Qui abbiamo dei materiali che vengono dal nuraghebaru.
08:49Sono materiali dell'Eta del ferro.
08:51Erano...sono arrivati in tantissimi frammenti...
08:54SÃ.
08:55...che sono stati uniti per ricostituire quella che era la forma originaria del vaso.
09:01Alcuni li abbiamo anche guardati con più attenzione
09:04because they also have very decorated decorations,
09:08with incis and also with stamps,
09:10and then traces of a red color
09:12that had to cover the surface of the vase.
09:16This is absolutely exquisite work,
09:19which must be done with incredible patience.
09:20This is an exquisite work,
09:23which is done with a lot of patience.
09:26Yes, yes.
09:26We need patience, we need a lot of passion,
09:30but obviously who can't be passionate
09:32when you think these vases were used
09:37over 2,000 years ago,
09:38because we're talking about the VIII sec.
09:40IX, VIII sec. a.C.,
09:42at least these are more or less with that adaptation.
09:46Vases that were used to pour,
09:49to drink,
09:50to eat,
09:51to consume food,
09:53so you can't be passionate about it.
09:56This is a surprise, at least to me,
09:58to discover that this Bronze Age,
10:00Iron Age civilisation was actually,
10:03in many ways, advanced.
10:05Yes, of course,
10:06it was a very advanced civilization.
10:09It wasn't like that.
10:10They were produced from the whole Mediterranean,
10:12but then also the Uragics
10:15exported out of the island,
10:17so we found it not only in the close
10:19of the Italian peninsula,
10:20but even in Spain, Portugal,
10:23and also on the Atlantic coasts.
10:27Sardinia's history is rich and deep.
10:30Archaeologists are finding artefacts hidden
10:33within the Bronze Age buildings
10:34that derive from many different eras
10:36and civilisations.
10:38Maria Giovanna Pepiotto
10:40is restoring this spectacular amphora
10:42from Roman times.
10:44Now we see it almost integral,
10:47but in reality,
10:50it is made of 249 fragments.
10:55249 pieces that have had to be put back together.
10:58Absolutely incredible.
10:59It was a lot of patience
11:05and more than anything,
11:07more than anything,
11:08the recognition of the single fragments.
11:11Because together with this amphora
11:13were found other amphora
11:16and therefore we had fragments
11:19pertinent to this amphora
11:22and together with other amphora.
11:24Are you learning something new
11:26about the civilisation
11:27from this amphora?
11:28Però l'anfora,
11:30ci dice,
11:31risulta essere un reperto
11:33molto importante
11:35per capire i commerci
11:38del sito.
11:40Sì, questa è un'anfora,
11:43olearia,
11:44conteneva dell'olio,
11:48un segno molto importante
11:50dei contatti commerciali
11:52con le altre popolazioni.
11:57So these scientists
11:58have helped to prove
12:00that the nuraghi,
12:01which were built
12:02three and a half thousand years ago,
12:04were still being used
12:06twenty centuries later
12:07by Sardinians
12:08who were trading
12:09across the Roman Empire.
12:13Questo risulta essere
12:15la parte terminale,
12:16l'umbone,
12:17e l'ultimo frammento
12:20dell'anfora
12:21che è
12:24l'ultimo frammento
12:29e andrà .
12:33Fantastico!
12:35I feel today
12:35I've learnt a lesson
12:36in humility.
12:38This civilisation
12:39of nuraghi
12:41did not leave us
12:42any written records.
12:43Therefore,
12:44as far as we know,
12:45there was no Homer,
12:46there was no Ovid,
12:47there was no Plato.
12:49But,
12:50on the other hand,
12:51they had many achievements.
12:52they were engineers,
12:53they were builders,
12:54they were craftsmen,
12:55they were navigators.
12:57And all of these things
12:58represent an important stage
13:00of human development.
13:01and certainly Sardinians
13:04think that these things
13:05put their island
13:06on the map.
13:16in Sardinia,
13:17you're very aware of agriculture.
13:20There are many more sheep
13:22than there are people.
13:23And field crops
13:25and fruit trees
13:26and vineyards
13:27dot the landscape.
13:30Typically,
13:31for a Mediterranean territory,
13:34Sardinians eat fresh local food
13:37in season.
13:38This is not a land
13:40of ready meals
13:41and frozen food.
13:46Sardinians provide
13:48adventurous travellers
13:49with the chance
13:50to sample local food
13:51cooked and served
13:52on the farm
13:53where it was produced.
13:56Imbandus
13:57Le Vigne du Cali
13:58is a family estate
13:59which has been
14:00part of this movement
14:01known as agriturismo
14:03for the past 17 years.
14:05Like many rural tourism businesses,
14:07in Sardinia,
14:09the Carta family
14:10offers its guests
14:11relaxing accommodation
14:12as well as home-grown meals.
14:15Today,
14:16they're putting me to work
14:17in the kitchen.
14:20Ciao, famiglia!
14:23Ciao!
14:23Me chiamo Michael.
14:25Piacere, Ezio.
14:26Ezio, piacere.
14:28Eleonora.
14:29Eleonora.
14:29Let's meet you.
14:30Elisa.
14:31Elisa, sono Michael.
14:32Piacere.
14:33Cristina.
14:34Cristina, tanto piacere.
14:36Grazie.
14:37Grazie.
14:37Thank you for your welcome.
14:38And who is the principal chef?
14:40You, Cristina?
14:41My mother.
14:41Look, I can see.
14:42Yes.
14:43Because you have
14:43the chef's jacket.
14:45I only have a humble
14:46little apron.
14:48It's okay.
14:50Wow.
14:51Eleonora,
14:51looks like we're ready
14:52to prepare something.
14:53Yes.
14:54We are preparing the cuirgiones.
14:56They are sardinian...
14:57Ooh, now what are they?
14:58They are sardinian ravioli.
15:01Sardinian ravioli.
15:02Yes.
15:02So, specialità .
15:03Esatto.
15:04Of the island.
15:05The speciality of the island.
15:06So...
15:07So...
15:07What do we have here?
15:08Allora, this is the dough
15:09for the cuirgiones.
15:11Yes.
15:12The filling is made with
15:13potatoes,
15:15sheep cheese,
15:16mint,
15:17oil and salt.
15:19How delicious.
15:20What a lovely selection of flavours.
15:22So, sheep cheese.
15:24I can see sheep
15:25through the window there.
15:26Yes.
15:26So, I assume that's local.
15:27Can you grow potatoes here?
15:28Yeah.
15:29We grow potatoes.
15:30Hmm.
15:31Very good.
15:32What are we going to do?
15:33First of all, we prepare the...
15:35How do you say this?
15:36The shapes.
15:37Okay.
15:38So, shall I do some of that for you?
15:40So, obviously, you want them
15:41to be quite close to each other.
15:43Turn it a little bit.
15:44Oh, sorry. Turn a little bit.
15:45There we go.
15:46Don't put...
15:47Don't put much.
15:48Put so much.
15:50You have to make, like, a C with the...
15:52with the left hand.
15:54Okay.
15:55Now you...
15:56And you put it right here.
15:57Mm-hmm.
15:58See?
15:59Good.
16:00See?
16:00Ollie, just with these two fingers.
16:02These two fingers.
16:03Don't close it too much.
16:04Don't close it too much.
16:05Leave it a little bit more open.
16:07Or even more so.
16:08Now, take this piece of pasta with the...
16:11and pinch it together.
16:13Like that.
16:15See?
16:16See?
16:17Oh, yeah.
16:17Good.
16:18Change it.
16:19Okay, good.
16:19Okay.
16:20Wow.
16:22Okay.
16:22Yeah.
16:23Wow.
16:25Wow.
16:26For being the first one is...
16:28Perfect.
16:29Let's have a look at yours.
16:30Oh, yeah.
16:31You're well, right?
16:32So.
16:34You want to try again?
16:35Yeah, I'll try again.
16:35Mm-hmm.
16:36Mm-hmm.
16:36Here's a chance to impress the boss.
16:39What do you think?
16:41What do you think?
16:46Okay.
16:47She wasn't going to be fooled by that.
16:49Let's see one that was mine.
16:51This one and this one is the best.
16:53Okay.
16:54This is my best.
16:56That really is.
16:56Bravissimo.
16:57Bravissimo.
16:58Assunto.
16:59Thank you so much.
17:00She said.
17:01Marvelous.
17:03It would be delightful to work in this kitchen where every ingredient is sourced from this province,
17:10South Sardinia.
17:12Here I saw some pomegranates growing.
17:14Yeah.
17:14Mm-mm.
17:15They're growing.
17:17What else do you have?
17:18Obviously, you have olives.
17:19Yes, we have olives.
17:21We have...
17:22My father grows also vegetables, wheat.
17:25We have some...
17:26A few chickens.
17:26So, we have the eggs.
17:28But we don't have a lot of animals.
17:31So, we also buy some meat.
17:34But everything is local.
17:36Yes.
17:37We...
17:37For us, it's important.
17:38So, even if you don't produce it yourself, it's coming from very, very close by.
17:43Exactly.
17:43And coming from people that you know and trust.
17:45Yes.
17:46Exactly.
17:47Rural ventures like this are vital to Sardinia's economy.
17:51In 2022, there are almost 800 agritourism businesses on the island, welcoming over 40,000 visitors.
18:01You're fantastically lucky to live in such a productive place.
18:04It's such a fertile place.
18:06Of course.
18:07Yes.
18:07I love it here.
18:10I love it here.
18:11The culo giones are boiled, immersed in a simple tomato sauce, before being brought ceremoniously to the table.
18:20Ah, la pasta!
18:23Ecco qua, i culo giones.
18:25Ah, that's fantastic.
18:28Grazie.
18:29Buon appetito a tutti.
18:30Buon appetito.
18:31Grazie.
18:32Grazie.
18:32Where's the wine from?
18:34Papa.
18:35Papa.
18:36You make wine.
18:38Le fai il vino.
18:39Si, si, si, si.
18:40Eleonora.
18:43Buon appetito.
18:44Grazie.
18:45Buon appetito.
18:50Buon appetito.
18:59Buon appetito a tutti.
19:13Buon appetito a tutti.
19:19Buon appetito.
19:20Buon appetito a tutti.
19:20No, buon appetito a tutti.
19:21Sono un bel di mieili.
19:33Buon appetito a tutti.
19:38C'è più grande in la città .
19:40OK. OK. Wow. Wow.
19:48Now it's my turn to chop.
19:51You can't hesitate. You've got to be decisive. You just whack it.
19:54Do you want to try the last piece? Yes.
19:56Go. Go.
19:59Go.
20:00Good.
20:01Go.
20:03Go.
20:04Yes, that's it.
20:05You want to count your fingers after that, don't you?
20:07For last, the mirto.
20:10The myrtle on top, smelling divine.
20:19It's a sensational meal.
20:23Dusty.
20:25Well, it's authentic.
20:28Pomodoro, the perfume.
20:30For us, it's simple, but for those who live in a large city,
20:35it's not that bad.
20:37So, the perfume, the genuinity and the freshness of what we offer.
20:46The friendship.
20:48Perfect.
21:45Because, by the way, my favourite blover.
21:45Because he used this train in the early 1920s
21:49on his voyage of discovery.
21:52And with the rolling stock that's been put on the train today,
21:56that's going to help me to be transported back to that era.
22:02The journey from Mundus to Laconi along this winding narrow-gauge track
22:08will take around three and a half hours.
22:15A step back in time.
22:23And we are off.
22:27The little green train is blue today.
22:29Green is a reference to the beauty of the interior,
22:33the unspoiled beauty of Sardinia.
22:37And everything that D.H. Lawrence wrote about this train
22:40leads me to believe that it's not going to be very fast.
22:43It's going to move at the speed of the appreciation of life.
22:56Soon we begin to climb to the hills, wrote Lawrence in his book Sea and Sardinia.
23:03It's wild with heath and arbutus scrub and a sort of myrtle breast high.
23:09Sometimes one sees a few head of cattle.
23:12And then again come the greyish arable patches where the corn is grown.
23:20The great advantage of this rolling stock, which is actually from about the 1930s,
23:26likely after D.H. Lawrence's writings, is that you can open the window,
23:31you can not only see Sardinia, you can smell Sardinia.
23:36The wonderful fragrances of its crops, its agriculture, its trees, its mountain slopes.
23:45So we ran on through the gold of the afternoon, writes Lawrence,
23:49across a wide, almost Celtic landscape of hills,
23:53our little train winding and puffing away very nimbly.
23:57It was wonderful to be running in the bright morning towards the heart of Sardinia,
24:02in the little train that seemed so familiar.
24:06I can learn more about the origins of the little green train
24:10from railway guide Mauro Montaldo.
24:16I must say I am enjoying this journey so much.
24:20The scenery is spectacular. Why was this railway built?
24:24It was a request of many Sardinians.
24:28The Sardinians that they live in the centre part of Sardinia,
24:31which is called Barbagia, one of the most isolated in Sardinia.
24:37They put so many resources on it that they were able to be able to be
24:42to build 300 meters per day, which is, in that era, it was quite fast.
24:51They have to get through deep valleys and high mountains, sharp curves and everything.
24:59But, surprisingly, in 17 months, they could complete the Mandas easily,
25:07which is the land that we are doing. Incredible.
25:12The product of those Herculean efforts is one of the longest narrow-gauge networks in Europe.
25:19But in the 20th century, Sardinia's railways faced a competitor.
25:23After the 60s, 70s, everybody had a car.
25:27So the railroads started to decrease. The importance of the railroads started to decrease.
25:36And some lines actually took off. It was dismantled.
25:41In the 80s, they started to recover the most beautiful line to give an opportunity to the tourists and to
25:48the people of Sardinia
25:50to discover this historical line that gave a lot to Sardinia,
25:55because it changed many aspects of the economy and the society of Sardinia.
26:04Halfway through this beautiful journey to Laconi, the line runs along the banks of Lake Isparocos.
26:15Here, the waterway has been dammed, creating a very large artificial lake with a striking island in the middle of
26:22it.
26:25Wonderful landscape.
26:26Okay.
26:27Let's go.
26:34Okay.
26:38Okay.
27:02The Little Green Train has brought me to the remote village of Lakhani.
27:06In truth, it is not a journey you ever need to make and it's hardly an express, but it
27:12is pretty and it's memorable and it helps if you like railways.
27:29It's been quite a surprise to discover that D.H. Lawrence is almost as celebrated in Sardinia
27:34as in his native Nottinghamshire.
27:37And here I have discovered a wonder which I would not be able to see anywhere else.
27:43The Nuraghi, which opened my mind to the progress that humankind made during the Bronze Age.
27:50It's certainly worth exploring the heart of Sardinia.
27:54The produce from farmyard and vineyard are absolutely excellent.
28:01Which is a discovery that D.H. Lawrence probably made a century ago.
28:11Next time, every part of the mask has now been burnt and it's left it with a menacing sheath.
28:19It seems that this is where the Percy family had tea.
28:23Esattamente, qui la famiglia Percy beveva il tè.
28:27Naturalmente dopo pranzo si riposava un po', leggeva i libri di allora.
28:31I'll try and take the test.
28:40Bravo! Assunto!
28:41blah!
28:42That was incredible!
28:43jungle is awesome.
28:59And you stay away from me!
29:00He just got back to me and I've got a little bit!
29:00I'm sorry I'm sorry I missed my turn.
29:01You're sorry.
29:01I'm sorry.
29:02I'm sorry.
29:03I'm sorry.
29:06I'm sorry.
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