Up to the beginning of the XX Century the pond of Santa Gilla, not far from Cagliari, was a lagoon infested with malaria until the Engineer Luigi Conti Vecchi proposed an innovative and ambitious project to change the whole area: reclaim the pond and build a modern saltwork.
In 1921, the Italian Government has supported the project. Since the Thirties, the saltwork is an advanced site, fully autonomous and sustainability oriented: it is based on a productive integrated cycle with a circular development, everything is recycled. In 2016 the FAI obtains the management on a part of the old productive site, it establishes an industrial museum among the production workshops, historical archives and salt laboratories illustrating the history of a clean and environment respectful industry: the saltwork is a natural oasis for thousands aquatic birds including the beautiful pink flamingos which could be admired very close. The spaces of the museum show the history of salt of the Thirties: they held the original furniture, binders from the archive, prototypes for spare parts, the chemical laboratory and the sober atmosphere of the offices, all placed in the landscapes with beautiful colorful salt basins, which are still used for the production.
FAI - Fondo Ambiente Italiano
Via Carlo Foldi 2 - 20135 Milano
Phone: +39 02 46 76 15 393
Email: m.pizzorni@fondoambiente.it
