Piscinas Beach, between past and present

Piscinas is also known as "the pearl of the Costa Verde," and is located in south-western Sardinia. The Costa Verde owes its name to the dominant color of the whole area, given by the lush natural vegetation that reaches the beach.

Unlike the more popular beaches of the Costa Smeralda or Cagliari, such as the Po[etto ](https://www.livetheworld.com/post/cagliari-s-skyline-and-the-devil-s-saddle-2rrl)beach, Piscinas beach is still in its natural and uncontaminated state.

Piscinas is the most representative of all the beaches on the Costa Verde. A perfect beach consisting of three kilometers of golden sand that stretch inward for about a kilometer. Throughout this stretch of coastline, one encounters only the building of an old mining railroad depot, now transformed into an exclusive hotel, the Hotel Le Dune. It is a luxury relais, beautiful in the summer but even more beautiful in the winter period. When looking out from the windows of the rooms facing the sea, you can see the magnificent spectacle of the stormy sea.

When you head towards Piscinas beach from Arbus or Guspini, you get the impression of stepping back in time. You will be able to see the headquarters of the former mine, with the Director's home and the offices of the executives. The building has been abandoned for decades, but still shows the glories of an era of well-being and prosperity.

Going down towards the beach along a dirt road, we come to the Ingurtosu mining complex, in a state of total ruin and abandonment. The village where the miners lived with their families still seems to resonate with the echoes of children's games and voices tired from the miners' work. From the laundry branched off a railway that reached the beach.

The peculiarity of Piscinas is its dunes, the highest in Europe. Before reaching the beach, the immense dunes stand out in the distance. These are sand dunes up to 100 meters high that move continuously, shaped by the mistral winds that blow from the sea in all seasons.

In summer, near the wide beach, there are two kiosks, where you can have a quick meal or enjoy the sunset colors with a drink. Behind the beach and right in front of the abandoned mining complex, rises the Sciopadroxiu campsite, an exciting place where nature and outdoor life lovers can spend a relaxing holiday.

The characteristic of the Piscinas beach is that walking on the beach, you meet parts of the equipment used in the mine and left there, as in a daring escape: transport trolleys still stay on the rails, with parts of gears for transporting the extracted materials. A sort of open-air industrial archaeological area.

The carts came from the Montevecchio mines, which are about 20 km inland, so they stopped at the laundry to wash the minerals and continued towards the beach. They were then loaded onto ships for Carloforte (Isola di San Pietro) for processing and transformation.

The sea of​​ Piscinas is beautiful, transparent, and colored in shades of emerald green and turquoise. As it is open sea, the sand and gravel bottom slopes down quite quickly, and often the presence of strong sea currents requires some attention while bathing.

In short, an oasis of beauty between nature and history, where you can spend a day in the sun, sea, and tranquillity. The long dirt road that leads to the beach is not exactly easy, and in case of rain, you are asked to cross the Rio Piscinas, a red watercourse due to the presence of metalliferous residues.

Not far from Piscinas, you can also visit: