First “Made in Baunei” exploration of the Golgo chasm

The first all-Baunese speleological expedition to the bottom of "Su Sterru", the famous chasm of the Golgo plateau almost three hundred meters deep.

The undertaking was signed a few days ago by two young speleologists from Baunei, Nicola Collu, 29 years old, and Mario Calzoni, 27 years old, who last week fulfilled their dream of descending into the suggestive single-span ravine. A descent organized in detail by the two, professional tour guides of the Selvaggio Blu trek, great speleology enthusiasts who grew up in the village in the myth of the brothers Paolo and Mario Muggianu, until a few days ago the only two speleologists from Baunei who could say they had explored " On Sterru”.

Paolo, now seventy-one years old, was the first Baunesi, back in 1978, to descend into the bowels of the plateau, joining an expedition organized by the Speleological Group of Faenza, which arrived in Sardinia to explore the cave which was already well known in the environment at the time. of enthusiasts of underground environments (thanks to the first pioneering exploration of 1957, completed by the Nuorese Cave Group together with the Pio XI Speleo Group of Iglesias). Mario Muggianu, born in 1963, Paolo's younger brother, was the second Baunei speleologist, in 1996, to successfully challenge the chasm; he too, however, together with speleologists who arrived from outside, those of the CISSA Speleo Group of Iglesias.

Twenty-seven years later here is, finally, an exploration entirely "Made in Baunei", packaged by Collu and Calzoni , who for the occasion were able to count on the logistical collaboration and external technical assistance organized by colleagues from Explorando Supramonte, the hiking in which they have been working for years.

«We trained hard for a few weeks in various karst sinkholes in the area - explains Nicola Collu - because at "Su Sterru" the descent and ascent require specific technical skills, such as the so-called knot jump , necessary when the descender slides along the rope meets the point where two ropes are joined."

For Mario Calzoni, who in addition to being a hiking guide is also a geologist, descending into "Su Sterru" was a significant experience also from a geological point of view, given that the Golgo chasm has always represented a place full of fascination for rock scholars, since it is a rare case of a karst chasm surrounded by a basaltic environment of volcanic origin.

«A geologically wonderful experience – says Calzoni – in a special site, which over the centuries has fueled many legends that are part of our popular culture». Exceptional spectators, in the clearing in front of the chasm, were the Muggianu brothers, who followed the ascent of the two young people live, thus sealing a symbolic generational handover.