Villages and mines in the nineteenth century: the settlement system of Sulcis-Iglesiente and the case of Bacu Abis

In the first half of the 19th century, an aggregative trend developed that led towards a substantial reorganisation of the Sulcis area, which still lacked effective urban centres. The boddèus developed as places of connection and aggregation for the population living historically in the furriadroxius and medaus, single-family settlement units of agro-pastoral origin scattered throughout the area. This transformation was due, in part, to a growing aggregative tension of the family groups present in the uncultivated lands, and in part, to the policy of Casa Savoia - which transferred administrative functions to the boddèus - influenced by the relaunch of the mining sector and the need to organise its infrastructure. The architecture of these early settlements retained a rural character even after the development of mining in the second half of the century. However, the proximity of the new villages to the sites covered by the mining concessions, has resulted in different ways of development, strongly conditioned by the needs of the mining industry. The study focuses on the case-study of the village of Bacu-Abis, exemplifying the settlement structures of these ‘mining sites’, with the objective of analysing its characteristics and deciphering its territorial ‘reading’, with increasing the analysis of mining villages, and their valorisation, into the main context of the Coal Museum, Great Mine of Serbariu in Carbonia. The case study is part of the project ReMusIt - REinventing industrial MUSeums for a new image of ITaly, aiming at identifying good practice for the enhancement of tangible and intangible cultural heritage and to assess solutions to improve the social and economic role of museums and cultural and educational institutions, strengthening their resilience against endogenous and exogenous crises. Specifically, this line of research, which starts from an analysis of the role and activities of a number of Italian industrial and work museums, is conducted by the Research Unit of the Mediterranean University of Reggio Calabria, in partnership with the University of Milan and the Institute for Heritage Sciences of the CNR, which coordinates the project.