President, what does it mean to aim for the brand “Sardegna, isola dei nuraghi”?
“It means having a clear understanding that we have chosen to make Sardinia known in the world through the story of the extraordinary and identity uniqueness of our ancient civilization.”
Until today, we have not done enough?
“I would say no. We are used to telling each other how important our nuragic heritage is, but we have never invested significant economic resources to protect, enhance, and present it to the world. It’s as if we had a beautiful diamond at home, but we chose to keep it hidden in a safe. Today we must learn to tell the reality, the charm, the mystery of our ancient civilization, remembering that ‘what is not known’ in the world is as if it does not exist, and therefore does not produce any benefit for the Sardinians.”
Are we therefore thinking of a cultural tourism project?
“No, we are thinking of something much more ambitious. No one wants to deny the importance of new and de-seasonalized tourist flows, which are certainly an integral part of the project. However, our goal is strategic for the entire Sardinian economy because it aims to represent an added value to all economic sectors and not just the tourism sector.”
So, do you think that besides archaeologists and tourist guides, others could benefit as well?
“Certainly! And I am not only thinking of restaurateurs and hoteliers. I believe we will need many other professionals: from restorers to anthropologists, from geneticists to restoration experts. But also structural and environmental engineers, marketing and promotion experts, communicators and computer programmers, logistics and artificial intelligence experts, the list is virtually endless.”
How do you envision the future development of the Island starting from the nuraghi?
“I think of a new narrative for our land that makes it recognizable all over the world for the charm of its ancient civilization. In Sardegna, I instead imagine an almost endless network of paths, where the most important monuments draw the minor ones to discover a landscape that is unified, while the unique offerings of each single territory complete and characterize the variety of the product.”
Are there examples in the world that you look to?
“There are many places, both small and large, that have multiplied their attractiveness by finding the element of uniqueness that characterizes them and makes them immediately identifiable. Without invoking Egypt, whose extraordinary civilization was unknown until a few centuries ago, it would be enough to think of Easter Island, a rock of 135 square kilometers, with 9000 inhabitants, located almost four thousand kilometers from the coast of Chile, and yet it is famous and known all over the world.”
What does Sardinia have that others don’t?
“A monumental heritage of millennia that gives our territory an ancient and identity flavor that we ourselves too often underestimate. Nuraghi, tombs of the giants, sacred wells, but also the entire prehistoric heritage are testimonies that are concentrated in this quantity in no other region of the world.”
What is the status of the path initiated by the Association for the Unesco recognition of the monuments of the nuragic civilization?
“In November 2021, our application, at the proposal of the MIC, became part of the Italian ‘tentative list’ at Unesco. We worked like crazy for two years to share the extraordinary goal we set for ourselves with all Sardinians. In April of this year, we submitted the preliminary draft of the dossier to the MIC. By the end of this year, we will be ready with the final dossier to continue the journey of Sardegna verso l’unesco to Paris. Entry into the ‘world heritage’ will be a very important moment for Sardegna as it will certify the universal value of our assets.”
Why does this project involve all the municipalities of Sardinia?
“We are fortunate that the nuragic heritage is like agriculture: it is the only resource truly present in all the municipalities of Sardinia. It is therefore a unique opportunity to unite all Sardinians around the same goal, without forgetting that the greatest concentrations of nuragic monuments are certainly not in the big cities, but precisely in those inland areas that we can truly protect from depopulation only by creating new development opportunities.”
Einstein Telescope and Nuragic Civilization: is there a conflict between innovation and research and the enhancement of ancient history?
“I would say it’s quite the opposite! Our request to host one of the most important research centers in the world, which could positively revolutionize the lives of Sardinians, would be infinitely strengthened by the evocative power of the millenary identity of the place that asks to host it. We are not a ‘random place’, we are the Island of the Nuraghi! Our ancient history is poised to once again be a protagonist in the scenarios of innovation.”
Is there any specific appeal that the association would like to address to the Sardinians?
“Yes. It is the request not to leave us alone. We are working on a project that is so big and important that it resembles a dream. We will only move forward if all Sardinians are united; no one must be left behind, each Sardinian can and must do their part. Let us remember that this time what is at stake is not just the well-being of a single territorial community, but an exciting prospect for the future of the entire Island.”