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Great Continental Railway Journeys - Season 9 Episode 2 - Mandas to Laconi
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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.
01:07I'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.
02:05Today, on my journey to the highlands, I'll travel on a scenic narrow-gauge railway known as the Trenino Verde,
02:13the 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
02:21Corsica.
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 single-trap line at the start of a journey right across the island.
02:50Lawrence 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, here, 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
03:31the island.
03:34Dotting the landscape around the town are a number of unusual stone structures.
03:39These are Nouraghe, 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.
04:01What a pleasure to be here. I've been looking forward to this visit and I've seen photographs, but nothing prepares
04:08you for the reality. This is spectacular. What are these buildings?
04:13Nouraghe are very particular buildings built only in Sardinia during the Bronze Age, so, you know, more than 3,500
04:20years ago.
04:22What does this word Nouraghe mean?
04:24Nouraghe means cavity or pile of stones.
04:27These round buildings we're seeing here, are these dwellings?
04:31Yes, they are part of the village developed all around the Nouraghe, because a Nouraghe in its simple shape was
04:41a 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. Is this a defensive system here? Are these people worried about being invaded and attacked?
05:02Probably there were conflict among people who lived in Sardinia, so against the neighbours, because people were organised into tribes
05:13during the Bronze Age.
05:15They defended very rich lands, very fertile lands near the rivers, so they were often in conflict for possession of
05:25those 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. Huge stones.
05:44Yes, this is one of the oldest towers being part of the defensive wall, provided with two rows of arrow
05:53slits that they could reach by a wooden platform that divided into two floors this first room, so they could
06:02dominate the territory and defend the riches of the community.
06:07And here you can see the walls of these Nouragi, dry stone walls, so they didn't use any mortar to
06:17join stones, but only some smaller stones, some wages.
06:21Ah, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes.
06:23And this is basalt, a volcanic rock, very heavy, very strong rock, so, you know, three metres thick of walls,
06:33so a very impressive building.
06:37In 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.
06:53Um, the professor Giovanni Liliu came from Barumini, the village near here, so, you know, when he was young, they
07:01came here to play with his friends, so this hill belonged to family friends, so from an early age, he
07:10was fascinated about this place.
07:12So, when he became archaeologist, he managed to bring to light this area.
07:18I may ask you, uh, as a Sardinian, what does this mean to you, this site?
07:24Um, this is, uh, our history.
07:27We are very proud of them because when the other people lived in, uh, huts or stilt houses in Sardinia,
07:36people, uh, was able to build very impressive buildings like this one.
07:42So, we are talking about the most advanced civilization of the Western Mediterranean Sea.
07:55These spectacular and strongly built structures inspire admiration for the people who created them.
08:02The artifacts that they crafted are awe-inspiring too.
08:06In the centre of the village, archaeologists have set up a laboratory where beautiful objects are being painstakingly reassembled.
08:16Here, clearly, fragments, which are of great historic significance and importance, are being pieced back together.
08:23And those who are doing the work have extraordinary expertise combined with the patience of a jigsaw puzzle maker.
08:33One of them is archaeologist Gianfranca Salis.
08:37Gianfranca.
08:39Hello.
08:40Hello.
08:40Hi, Michael.
08:42Salve.
08:42Allora, what do we have here?
08:44Che cosa abbiamo qui?
08:46Qui abbiamo dei materiali che vengono dal Nuraghe Barru.
08:49Sono materiali dell'età del ferro.
08:51Erano, sono arrivati in tantissimi frammenti.
08:54Sì.
08:55Che sono stati uniti per ricostituire quella che era la forma originaria del del vaso.
09:01Alcuni li abbiamo anche guardati con più attenzione perché hanno anche delle decorazioni molto decorata con incisa e anche con
09:10la stampiglia
09:11e poi tracce di un colore rosso che doveva in parte ricoprire la superficie del vaso.
09:17This is absolutely exquisite work which must be done with incredible patience.
09:20E' un lavoro exquisito che si fa con una pazienza enorme.
09:26Ci vuole pazienza, ci vuole tanta passione, ma ovviamente chi non si può appassionare quando pensi che questi vasi sono
09:35stati usati oltre duemila anni fa,
09:38perché stiamo parlando dell'ottavo secolo nono, ottavo secolo avanti Cristo, almeno questi sono più o meno con quella datazione.
09:46Vasi che vedevano usati per versare, per bere, per consumare il cibo, quindi non puoi non appassionarti.
09:56This is a surprise, at least to me, to discover that this Bronze Age, Iron Age civilization was actually in
10:03many ways advanced.
10:05E' molto, sì, certo, era una civiltà molto avanzata, non era così.
10:10Arrivavano prodotti da tutto il Mediterraneo, ma poi anche i nuragici esportavano fuori dall'isola,
10:17quindi la troviamo non solo nella vicina penisola italica, ma addirittura è stata trovata in Spagna, Portogallo, quindi anche sulle
10:24coste atlantiche.
10:27Sardinia's history is rich and deep. Archeologists are finding artefacts hidden within the Bronze Age buildings
10:34that derive from many different eras and civilizations.
10:38Maria Giovanna Pepiotto is restoring this spectacular amphora from Roman times.
10:44Ora la vediamo quasi integra, ma in realtà è costituita da 249 frammenti.
10:55249 pieces that have had to be put back together, absolutely incredible.
10:59E' stato un lavoro molto anche lì di pazienza e più che altro anche di riconoscibilità dei singoli frammenti,
11:11perché insieme a quest'anfora sono state ritrovate altre anfore.
11:16E quindi avevamo frammenti pertinenti a quest'anfora e insieme ad altre anfore.
11:24Are you learning something new about the civilization from this amphora?
11:28Però l'anfore risulta essere un reperto molto importante per capire i commerci del sito.
11:40Sì, questa è un'anfora olearia, conteneva dell'olio, un segno molto importante dei contatti commerciali con le altre popolazioni.
11:57So these scientists have helped to prove that the nuraghi, which were built three and a half thousand years ago,
12:04was still being used 20 centuries later by Sardinians who were trading across the Roman Empire.
12:12This is the terminal part, the lumbone, and the last fragment of the amphora.
12:22Which is the last fragment.
12:29Fantastico.
12:35I feel today I've learnt a lesson in humility.
12:38This civilization of nuraghi did not leave us any written records.
12:43Therefore, as far as we know, there was no Homer, there was no Ovid, there was no Plato.
12:49But on the other hand, they had many achievements.
12:52They were engineers, they were builders, they were craftsmen, they were navigators.
12:57And all of these things represent an important stage of human development.
13:02And certainly Sardinians think that these things put their island on the map.
13:16In Sardinia, you're very aware of agriculture.
13:20There are many more sheep than there are people.
13:23And field crops and fruit trees and vineyards dot the landscape.
13:29Typically for a Mediterranean territory, Sardinians eat fresh local food in season.
13:38This is not a land of ready meals and frozen food.
13:46Sardinians provide adventurous travelers with the chance to sample local food cooked and served on the farm where it was
13:54produced.
13:56Imbandas Le Vigne Ducali is a family estate which has been part of this movement known as Agriturismo for the
14:04past 17 years.
14:06Like many rural tourism businesses in Sardinia, the Carta family offers its guests relaxing accommodation as well as homegrown meals.
14:15Today they're putting me to work in the kitchen.
14:21Hello, family!
14:23Hello!
14:23My name is Michael.
14:25My pleasure, Ezio.
14:26It's your pleasure.
14:28Eleonora.
14:29Eleonora.
14:29Nice to meet you.
14:30Elisa.
14:31Elisa, I'm Michael.
14:32My pleasure.
14:33Christina.
14:34Christina.
14:35My pleasure.
14:36Thank you for your welcome.
14:38And who is the principal chef?
14:40You, Christina?
14:41My mother.
14:41Look, I can see.
14:43Because you have the chef's jacket.
14:45I only have a humble little apron.
14:48It's okay.
14:50Wow.
14:51Eleonora.
14:51Looks like we're ready to 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.
15:02So, specialità.
15:03Esatto.
15:04Of the island.
15:05The speciality of the island.
15:06So, what do we have here?
15:08Allora, this is the dough for the cuirgiones.
15:11Yes.
15:11The filling is made with potatoes, sheep cheese, mint, oil and salt.
15:19How delicious.
15:20What a lovely selection of flavours.
15:23So, sheep cheese.
15:24I can see sheep through the window there.
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, thank you.
15:38So, shall I do some of that for you?
15:40Yeah.
15:40So, obviously, you want them to be quite close to each other.
15:43Turn it a little bit.
15:44Oh, sorry, turn it a little bit.
15:45There we go.
15:47Don't put so much.
15:48Not put so much.
15:50You have to make, like, a C with the left hand.
15:55Okay.
15:55And you put it right here.
15:57Mm-hmm.
15:59You see?
15:59Good.
16:00Oli, just with these two fingers, all right?
16:03These two fingers.
16:03Don't close it too much.
16:04Don't close it too much.
16:05Leave it a little bit more open.
16:07Yeah.
16:07Or even more so.
16:09Now, take this piece of pasta with it and pinch it together.
16:13Like that.
16:15See?
16:16See?
16:17Oh, yeah.
16:18Good.
16:18Pinch it.
16:19Okay, good.
16:19Okay.
16:20Wow.
16:21Okay.
16:22Yeah.
16:24Wow.
16:25Wow.
16:26For being the first one is perfect.
16:29Let's have a look at yours.
16:31Oh, yeah, you're well, right?
16:32So.
16:34You want to try again?
16:35Yeah, I'll try again.
16:36Mm-hmm.
16:36Here's a chance to impress the boss.
16:39Cosa avete combinato?
16:41What do you think?
16:42Ah!
16:43Eh!
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, this is my best.
16:56That really is.
16:56Bravissimo.
16:57Bravissimo.
16:58Assunto.
16:58Thank you so much.
17:00She said.
17:01Marvellous.
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.
17:20Yes, we have olives.
17:21We have...
17:22My father grows also vegetables, wheat.
17:25We have some...
17:26A few chickens, so we have the eggs, but we don't have a lot of animals.
17:31So, we also buy some meat, but everything is local.
17:36Yes.
17:37We...
17:37For us, it's important.
17:39So, 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.
18:04In such a fertile place.
18:06Of course.
18:07Yes.
18:07I love it here.
18:10The 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.
18:26Ah, that's fantastic.
18:27Grazie.
18:28Grazie.
18:29Buon appetito a tutti.
18:30Buon appetito.
18:31Grazie.
18:32Grazie.
18:32Where's the wine from?
18:34Papà.
18:35Papà.
18:36You make wine.
18:38Le fa il vino.
18:39Si, si, si, si.
18:40Mm.
18:42Eleonora.
18:43Okay.
18:43Grazie.
18:44Yeah.
18:45Buonissimo.
18:51Sono cinquant'anni di esperienza.
18:5350 years of working out how to make wine, 50 years of working with the vines.
18:59Si.
19:00Mm.
19:00The pasta is great.
19:02The combination of the cheese and the potato, and the lovely pasta, and then the tomato sauce.
19:07Excellent.
19:08Grazie.
19:10La sua specialità, no?
19:12This is your speciality.
19:13Una delle mie specialità.
19:15Just one of my specialities.
19:17Okay.
19:19But it seems that I've relaxed too soon.
19:22My labors are not yet complete.
19:25Some great drama in the kitchen.
19:27Si.
19:30Eccolo qua.
19:31Bravo.
19:31My goodness.
19:33Si.
19:34What a fantastic pig.
19:35Si.
19:37Bisogna essere precisi.
19:38Oh, you've got to be very precise.
19:39Taglio netto e preciso.
19:41Okay.
19:41Wow.
19:43Wow.
19:45Wow.
19:48Now it's my turn to chop.
19:51You can't hesitate.
19:52You've got to be decisive.
19:53You just whack it.
19:55Vuoi provare l'ultimo pezzo?
19:56Si.
19:56Dai.
19:57Vai.
19:59Dai.
20:01Dai.
20:03Dai.
20:04Sì, così.
20:05Va bene, dai.
20:06You want to count your fingers after that, don't you?
20:07Per ultimo, il mirto.
20:10The myrtle on top, smelling divine.
20:19Eccolo qua.
20:20It's a sensational meal.
20:23Dust.
20:25It's authentic.
20:28Pomodoro, perfume.
20:30For us, it's simple, but for those who live in a large city,
20:36it's not so bad.
20:37So, the perfume, the genuinity, the freshness of what we offer.
20:46The friendship.
20:47Thank you. Perfect.
21:14I've returned to Mando Station, and this time to take the little green train,
21:20Il Trenino Verde, which will carry me across bridges and through tunnels.
21:27A journey that's been compared to time travel.
21:30And now it becomes clear why this station is festooned with tributes to D.H. Lawrence, the Nottingham miners' son,
21:40who became the celebrated author of Sons and Lovers and Lady Chatterley's Lover.
21:45Because he used this train in the early 1920s on his voyage of discovery.
21:52And with the rolling stock that's been put on the train today, that's going to help me to be transported
21:59back to that era.
22:02The journey from Mandas to Laconi, along this winding narrow-gauge track, would 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.
22:30Green is a reference to the beauty of the interior, the unspoiled beauty of Sardinia.
22:37And everything that D.H. Lawrence wrote about this train leads me to believe that it's not going to be
22:42very 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.
23:13And 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 1930s,
23:26slightly 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.
23:50Across a wide, almost Celtic landscape of hills, our 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 from railway guide Mauro Montaldo.
24:17I must say I am enjoying this journey so much. The scenery is spectacular. Why was this railway built?
24:24It was a request of many Sardinians. The Sardinians that they live in the centre part of Sardinia, which is
24:32called Barbagia.
24:33One of the most isolated in Sardinia.
24:37They put so many resources on it that they were able to build 300 metres per day.
24:44Which is, in that era, it was quite fast.
24:51They had to get through deep valleys and high mountains, sharp turbs and everything.
25:00But, surprisingly, in 17 months, they could complete the Mandas easily, which 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.
25:24After the 60s, 70s, everybody had a car.
25:28So the railroads start to decrease, the importance of the railroads start to decrease.
25:35And 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 because it changed many aspects of the economy and
25:59the 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.
26:26Thanks for your opportunity.
26:26OK.
26:27Good day.
26:35Bye thank you,嬉ach
26:36You,
26:53Good day.
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,
27:10and it's hardly an express, but it is pretty, and it's memorable,
27:15and it helps if you like railways.
27:28It's been quite a surprise to discover that D.H. Lawrence
27:32is almost as celebrated in Sardinia as 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.
27:55The 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 mast has now been burnt,
28:16and it's left it with a menacing sheath.
28:19It seems that this is where the Persi family had tea.
28:30I'll try and take the test.
28:38Oh! Assunto!
28:41Assunto!
28:41Ha-ha-ha-ha!
28:42Ha-ha-ha!
28:42Ha-ha-ha-ha!
28:43Ha-ha-ha-ha!
29:09Ha-ha-ha!
29:10You
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