All Aboard the Little Green Train

You need to leave behind the hustle and bustle of everyday life if you are to take this special train journey. Adopt a calm air of contemplation as you prepare to sit back, relax and enjoy the rugged landscapes that fill the windows as you travel through the Sardinian countryside.

The journey is slow and tortuous as the train crosses through forests, mountains and over suspension bridges that sit astride the rivers and valleys far below.

The service has been operating since the beginning of the 20th century frequented by travellers of note including the poet and writer D.H. Lawrence that recounted the discomfort of the journey on one of his books, Sea and Sardinia. Since then the train, which is smaller than a normal train and runs on a narrow gauge line, has become a popular tourist attraction that takes visitors beyond the beaches and resorts to the wild and rugged interior of the island.

The green in its name refers to the fact that the train runs through many tracts of forest and luxurious vegetation that characterises the island.

In 1989, thanks to a collaboration with the WWF, Italia Nostra and some finance from the European Community, some of the small stations, the steam trains and parts of the abandoned tracks have been restored. Parts of the journey are accessible all year and some only during the summer time.

From Cagliari, the Sardinian capital, it goes towards Gennargentu heading through the small villages in the interior, getting every higher as it climbs round the curves and crossing bridges giving passengers views of a landscape that changes with every increase in height. The last station is Sorgono, almost at the centre of the island.
The routes are almost all mountainous but it also visits the coastal town of Bosa, as it cuts across the island in an almost horizontal direction, and the small port of Arbatax (on the west coast) that is surrounded by characteristic red granite rock.

In the north, the train travels through Gallura, from the seaside town of Palau to Nulvi, with a stop in the charming hilltop town of Tempio, until it arrives finally at Alghero.
A special form of transport with which to see some places that are otherwise unreachable as well as to enjoy the pleasure of travelling with a little taste of an unhurried past.