August in Aggius - Night excursion to Monti Fraìli

If there is a place that contains the essence of Gallura, its history, its landscapes, its people, this is Aggius. A crest of small and sharp mountains protects the town like a granite casket and at the same time seems to threaten it with boulders ready to roll over the houses. Walking through the streets of the historic center, you can breathe this dramatic yet reassuring atmosphere at every turn. If you have the patience to read or listen to Aggius' incredible stories [1], this paradoxical sensation makes sense.

When you reach the town from the north, crossing expanses of cork oaks and mosaics of small vineyards, you are amazed not to see the houses of Aggius until the end, well hidden behind the first mountains of the chain, which are the least high but also the most characteristic. The first of these, Mònti Fraíli, stands out from the others for its smooth walls, cracked here and there by crevasses and carved rocks: it looks like a gigantic granite meringue, and you immediately want to climb on it! [2]

The night climb of the mountain is unique and unforgettable, thanks to the spotlights that illuminate one side. Monti Fraili at night is one of the experiences offered by an excellent local guide [3], especially in the summer, when you want to enjoy the warm evenings and the starry sky. It starts at dusk from the Capizza Park, easily accessible from the northern entrance of the town, and goes up the steep natural path that winds along the cracks in the mountain, where daring little trees grow that sink their roots who knows where. Occasionally the path imposes small challenges, such as bypassing bizarre-shaped boulders, jumping on them or crawling under them, overcoming irregular steps holding out their hand to providential holm oak branches, clinging to the ropes stretched between one boulder and another to walk on granite slides ...

But as soon as you reach the terrace below the top of the mountain, the warmth released by the rock is lashed by the mistral breeze and the effort is rewarded by the view of the landscape at dusk, composed of the increasingly dark shapes of the other mountains, of velvet woods, the lights of the towns of Alta Gallura and the profile of the majestic Monte Limbara. Now, as the darkness extinguishes the colors, you can turn on your other senses and feel the grain of the granite you sit on, smell the country air, hear the tales of the guide with the typical Sardinian accent and satisfy your taste buds with a Gallura snack based of bread, salami, cheese and an inevitable glass of Vermentino. [4]

Whether it is in the moonlight or in the dark, the descent is joy for the muscles, but it does not fail to present some other difficulties, faced with the comfort of the torch and the prompt indications of the guide. If luck helps you, you can meet the goats of the nearby farm, which seem to have come on purpose to greet you and congratulate you on your newfound agility. [5]

MORE INFORMATION

Aggius, in the heart of Gallura

[1] Aggius is known in Gallura, and beyond, also for its troubled social history during the first half of the 19th century, when it became the center of a popular revolt that inflamed the region against the harassment of the Savoy government, continuing the daring events of the "Sardinian Revolution" to the anarchist cry of Nè istatu nè irrè! Once the revolt was quelled, Aggius made headlines again due to one of the largest and most ferocious feuds that took over Gallura, the one between the Vasa and the Mamia, immortalized in the famous historical novel by Enrico Costa "Il Muto di Gallura", recently transposed also in verse, in comics and in film version.

Monti Fraili, a wonderful trek

[2] If you have some hiking experience you can climb Monti Fraili quite easily, considering the low altitude difference (about 100 meters) and the presence of ropes that facilitate the passage in the steepest and most uneven sections. But the ideal is to go up with an expert local guide, who can also personalize your experience with a longer or more complex excursion in the beautiful surrounding area. A curiosity: fraíli in Gallurese indicates the blacksmith's workshop; it is said that the name of the mountain derives from the fact that here once was a den of bandits who minted false coins!

Paolo Carboni and the "Tutt'a Pedi" association

3] We had this experience with Paolo Carboni, a retired former firefighter and now, for hobby, breeder, gardener, winemaker and hiking guide, who with the association Tuttʼa Pedi ("all on foot" and / or "everything on foot ") locally promotes the practice of hiking and the knowledge of the natural beauties of the aggese area. If you contact Tuttʼa Pedi you will be provided with various activity options based on the season, the route, the modality, your interests and your level of experience.

Eat, sleep and have fun in Aggius

[4] Speaking of good appetite, Aggius in recent years has become a culinary destination appreciated by both locals and travelers. Depending on your tastes, you can book a nice food and wine experience in a farmhouse, in a trattoria or in a pizzeria. Despite being a small town of 1400 inhabitants, in Aggius you will find all the essential services, various accommodation options, both in the countryside and in the urban center, and various commercial and tourist services such as museums, excursions, experiences, shops, laboratories...

A tour around the area

[5] To enrich your experience, we advise you to take advantage of your stay or your stop in Aggius, walking through all its mountains, the countryside, the cork forests, the famous "Valley of the Moon" or "Piana dei Grandi Sassi", the pleasant little lake of Santa Degna. It is also wonderful to get lost in the labyrinth of cobbled streets of the wonderful historic center, which also offers an interesting open-air museum of installations and murals, a very rich ethnographic museum (the MEOC), the special Museum of Banditry and several textile workshops filled with the famous Aggius rugs with antique looms and natural colors.