The huts of falasco in the Sinis peninsula in Sardinia: the loss of a material and immaterial cultural heritage

The area of the Sinis Peninsula, located in the municipality of Cabras in the province of Oristano, Sardinia, boasts a millennia-old human history, evidenced by Nuragic settlements and archaeological sites from Phoenician-Punic and Roman periods. In 1997, the “Sinis Peninsula – Mal di Ventre Island” Marine Protected Area was established, with the aim of defending and preserving the rich and diverse natural environment, where lagoons, flat plains, promontories, cliffs, and beaches with various morphologies and formations are found. These landscapes are home to native species and shrubs typical of the Mediterranean maquis. Traditionally, fishing has been a fundamental resource, leading to the development of structures functional to this activity. The characteri stics and traditional falasco huts were lightweight and sustainable constructions used by fishermen since the first half of the 20th century. Their architecture, built with native plant materials such as reeds, rushes, and falasco, provided effective protection from the elements and exemplified a traditional building technique and architecture perfectly integrated into the context. These structures, harmoniously embedded in the landscape, represent a suc cessful blend of nature and architecture and have become symbols of a cultural and environmental heritage that is as significant as it is fragile, underestimated, and long unprotected