Poggio dei Pini, literally “Pine Knoll” is a locality situated in south-west

Sardinia Sardinia ( ; it, Sardegna, label=Italian, Corsican and Tabarchino ; sc, Sardigna , sdc, Sardhigna; french: Sardaigne; sdn, Saldigna; ca, Sardenya, label=Algherese and Catalan) is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after ...

, about 15 km from Cagliari, the island's capital. It is a

frazione A ''frazione'' (plural: ) is a type of subdivision of a ''comune'' (municipality) in Italy, often a small village or hamlet outside the main town. Most ''frazioni'' were created during the Fascist era (1922–1943) as a way to consolidate territ ...

of the municipality

Capoterra Capoterra ( sc, Cabuderra; ; from Latin ''Caput Terrae'', "head of the Earth") is a town and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Cagliari, Sardinia, Italy. At 2011 national census it had 24,017 inhabitants and is part of the Cagliari metropol ...

. The village, with about 4,000 inhabitants, is of a type unique in Sardinia, and unusual in Italy. It is not an ancient settlement; rather it was founded in the 1960s and 1970s when a group of people who loved nature and the countryside decided to make it their home. Gradually the infrastructure was developed and residents arrived. The community is organised as a

cooperative A cooperative (also known as co-operative, co-op, or coop) is "an autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly owned and democratically-contro ...

which, it is said, has resulted in a higher standard of services that would otherwise have been expected. Poggio dei Pini lies within a hollow formed by the mountainous arc of Monte Arrubiu, Monte Santa Barbara and Monte Pauliara. The countryside, already attractive, was enhanced by planting a luxuriant pine wood around a small lake. The sea is some 4 km to the east; the beaches of

Nora Nora, NORA, or Norah may refer to: * Nora (name), a feminine given name People with the surname * Arlind Nora (born 1980), Albanian footballer * Pierre Nora (born 1931), French historian Places Australia * Norah Head, New South Wales, headlan ...

(20 km) and Chia (35 km) can be reached by the SS. 195. Nearby is the designated park and

nature reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or ...

, the mountainous "Parco Del Sulcis" forest area, a popular location for walking, trekking and mountain biking. Two eighteenth-century edifices stand out in this area: the churches of Santa Barbara and of San Girolamo (

Saint Jerome Jerome (; la, Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus; grc-gre, Εὐσέβιος Σωφρόνιος Ἱερώνυμος; – 30 September 420), also known as Jerome of Stridon, was a Christian priest, confessor, theologian, and historian; he is co ...

). The former is especially an object of devotion as, according to local legend, it was in this neighbourhood that

Saint Barbara Saint Barbara ( grc, Ἁγία Βαρβάρα; cop, Ϯⲁⲅⲓⲁ Ⲃⲁⲣⲃⲁⲣⲁ; ; ), known in the Eastern Orthodox Church as the Great Martyr Barbara, was an early Christian Lebanese and Greek saint and martyr. Accounts place her in t ...

was decapitated. Poggio dei Pini is notable as the former home of the Osservatorio Astronomico di Cagliari. Since the observatory relocated, the site has no become popular with the Sardinian Amateur Astronomers Association.

References

External links

Societa Cooperativa Poggio dei Pini
Frazioni of the Province of Cagliari {{Sardinia-geo-stub