Tempio Pausania city tour and secrets of the craft.
This tour is conducted by car.
You may have noticed the characteristic souvenirs of Sardinia made of cork oak bark? Would you like to see how they are made? Or would you like to take a peek at a traditional pottery workshop? Apart from the pretty historic centre with its outstanding cathedral and chapels, the town is known for its huge number of craft shops where ceramics, cork and other products are made. You will stroll through the secluded streets, visit the island’s only atelier making clothes and accessories from cork cloth, and learn the secrets of Sardinian weaving.
Teipio Pausania is a town surrounded by dense forests of cork oak trees and situated 570 metres above sea level, enjoying a mild, cool climate, even in the height of summer. The beautiful historic centre and the charming scenery around it attract many summer holidaymakers. The city lures with its quiet charm and cosy streets of the historical centre. The cobbled streets, the small squares surrounded by the usually two-storey friendly grey granite houses, the shops and shops and of course the shady Viale Fonte Nuova, a real spa avenue, all give the town a very un-Sardinian look.
Tempio Pausania is the centre of cork production in Sardinia. Cork grows very slowly, once the bark has been stripped off it takes ten years for the oak to build up a new industrial useful layer. Cork is a valuable natural raw material used in many applications, from the shoe industry to wallpaper and flooring. During this tour you will discover the secrets of the local artisans and see how cork bark becomes a durable material.
The tour includes visits to:
The House of di Nino di Gallura – home of Dante Alighieri’s friend
Saint Peter’s Cathedral – the church was built between the 13th and 14th centuries
The Church of the Holy Cross – the oldest church in the city
The Rinaggio Mineral Spring – with a water cure, located in a park on the outskirts of the city.
The cork factory, where you can watch the process of assembling and processing cork bark, and if you want, you can make your first cork with your own hands.
And for young travellers, a bright impression will be a visit to the ceramics workshop, where they can express their imagination on small ceramic tiles or saucers. All the pieces you make in the factory can be taken back with you as a warm and bright memory of the island of Sardinia.
In the centre of Tempio Pausania there is a shop owned by Anna Grindi, an artisan who makes clothes out of cork, following the latest fashion trends and sometimes holding model shows.
