On Barone, from oasis to desert: few holidaymakers after the Forestry Police raid

Discontent is spreading through that "unguarded" pine forest. More than the eve of Ferragosto (August 15th), it feels like an anonymous Friday in June. Few cars park under those pines accustomed to welcoming visitors, in the enchanting Orosei area of Su Barone. "We've only allowed 180 cars in, as required," says Salvatore Mula, an employee of the company appointed by the Municipality of Orosei to monitor entry to the oasis, which was placed under preventive seizure after an incursion by members of the Forestry and Environmental Protection Corps. And while the owner of a kiosk fumes with rage over the loss of earnings, Orosei's mayor, Elisa Farris, blurts out: "We've really been hit with a blow: we were building an educational program aimed at increasingly thorough protection of the area. This hasty intervention jeopardizes everything."

Few cars

Only 180 cars, and they need to be parked in designated spaces, in that pine forest of great environmental and naturalistic value. A SIC (Site of Community Interest) area. In Orosei, in the marvelous Su Barone area, controversy is mounting over this unexpected measure by the Forestry Corps.

"Area under preventive seizure," the sign reads. The accusation: although the Coastal Use Plan set a limit of 180 cars, there were many more here every day. "Even four times that," someone whispers. "The men in uniform did a great job; there were too many cars here," says a tourist from Lombardy. "This site must be protected and safeguarded."

Shared anger

Some appreciate the change in pace and approach, achieved in just a few hours and just before the mid-August holiday. The majority of Su Barone regulars, however, don't hide their enormous disappointment. The owners of the five businesses affected by the closure are, of course, quite irritated.

Gianfranco Locci

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