Fra Bussole e Stelle

Una mostra dedicata al volto più antico dell’approdo gallurese

Until August 20, the spaces of La Passeggiata host Fra Bussole e Stelle. Porto Cervo nell’antica cartografia (Compasses and Stars. Porto Cervo in Ancient Cartography), an exhibition dedicated to the most ancient face of the Gallura harbour. Through an invaluable selection of nautical charts, portolans, and historical maps, the exhibition documents Porto Cervo’s presence on Mediterranean routes many centuries before its birth as a modern tourist destination.

Fra Bussola e Stelle

Designed to guide sailors between sheltered bays, ports of call, and refuelling points, these testimonies paint a picture of a strategic natural harbour along the Gallura coast. The charts recount a Mediterranean crisscrossed by trade, exploration, and constant exchange, in which knowledge of the coastline was essential for navigating the voyage and finding shelter. Porto Cervo thus appears not only as a geographical indication, but as a place recognized and used by sailors due to the protected conformation of its inlet.

Each map thus becomes a trace of memory, demonstrating how the relationship between this stretch of coast and the sea has deep and distant origins. The fruit of years of research and the recovery of materials from private collections and European antique markets, the exhibition invites us to rediscover the connection between the land, navigation, and the history of the Mediterranean. The exhibition also restores depth to a place often associated primarily with its more recent history, offering the public a unique perspective on its origins and the historical and cultural heritage of Gallura.