PROGRAM · 10 OCTOBER 2026 · 11 OCTOBER 2026
A journey that ends at the table
Two days along the Santa Barbara Mining Trail
Passi di Gusto is born from a simple idea: you understand the flavor of a place best after having walked through it. You hike for a few kilometers through a landscape carved, cultivated, and inhabited by humans for centuries; along the way, you meet the people who today transform that landscape into honey, oil, wine, bread, and smoked fish; and you arrive at the table with just the right appetite, facing a dish that tells the final story of that journey.
Each stage is a single day, with one group at a time, at a slow pace. At the end, you sit down: to close the circle are the chefs—including a Michelin star among them.
WHAT A DAY LOOKS LIKE
— You walk. Four or five kilometers in the morning, along routes suitable for everyone. Guides and escorts share the history of the area.
— You meet the producers. Along the way and at the finish: beekeepers, olive growers, winemakers, bakers, masters of smoking. You taste the products where they are made.
— You gather at the table. A show cooking with students from the Hospitality Institutes alongside the chefs. Three courses, ingredients from Sulcis Iglesiente and Medio Campidano, and a single thread running through it all: local ingredients.
Buggerru was born from the mine and lives by the sea: the rock plunges straight into the water, and the miners’ tunnels open out onto the horizon. The trail climbs above the town, passes through the Henry Gallery—a tunnel carved into the cliff—and descends to the harbor. At the gallery exit, where the view opens up, walkers are welcomed with music.
| Group | Meet-up | Departure | End of hike | Show cooking |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st group | 9:00 | 9:30 | 13:00 | 13:15 |
| 2nd group | 10:00 | 10:30 | 14:00 | 14:30 |
ALONG THE ROUTE
- The Henry Gallery. The nineteenth-century tunnel carved into the cliff, with windows overlooking the sea.
- The musical moment. At the gallery exit, where the view opens wide.
12:30 PM – 2:00 PM · AS AN ALTERNATIVE TO THE HIKE, YOU CAN CHOOSE BETWEEN:
Masterclass on the Classical Method: how it's made, how to recognize it, how to enjoy it.
Between salt, smoke, and tradition: Sardinian knowledge of bottarga, smoked fish, and tuna.
Show cooking
Near the harbor, in two shifts—1:15pm and 2:30pm: a Michelin-starred chef and pastry chef cook alongside the students of the Istituto Alberghiero di Iglesias.
Born in Sassari, after years in Milan, Sydney, and Dubai, he returned to Sardinia to cook almost solely what the lagoon provides: mullet and lesser-known fish, using every part from head to tail, turning scraps into sauces and garum so that nothing is wasted.
A Tuscan from Lucca, Sardinian by choice, trained at Forte Village alongside Gianluca Fusto. In Cagliari he opened Matrice, an “agricultural patisserie” working from field to oven. Today’s dessert is a bridge between two islands: the Prato peach from his Tuscany and the “barracocca” cherry from Villacidro.
In Villacidro, the landscape changes: no cliffs, but gardens, olive groves, and beehives. The trail is short and accessible to all—just over four kilometers, almost no elevation—a walk that doesn’t require trained legs, only the time to pause and experience it. The group sets off from the Professional Institute for Agriculture and the Environment, stops by the hives and under the olive trees, and finishes where students from another institute are already cooking.
| Group | Meet-up | Departure | End of hike | Show cooking |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single group | 9:00 | 9:30 | 12:45 | 13:15 |
ALONG THE ROUTE
- Discovering honey. With Valerio Deidda, beekeeper.
- From olive to oil. With Matteo Deidda, olive grower.
ALTERNATIVE TO THE WALK · 11:00 AM
Discover the art of breadmaking: hands in the flour, alongside those who bake daily.
Show cooking
From 1:15pm, by Istituto Alberghiero di Arbus, led by chef Raffaele Altamura.
