Sofia Gastaldo
4 → Sant’Elia’s Caves Visual Exploration
This project was developed during the workshop Personal Visual Narratives: The Rhythm of the Territory, The Rhythm of My Heartbeat, led by Lina Pallotta as part of The Photo Solstice in Cagliari, with the support of Fondazione Sardegna.
I began by focusing on the concept of the cave. In the Cagliari area, there are three main types of caves: natural formations, burial caves such as the Domus de Janas, and underground military bases. These spaces tell very different stories, but they all share a common relationship with the idea of what lies beneath the surface.
Starting from this idea, I carried out a series of explorations and interviews to better understand how these places have been used, how they’ve changed over time, and how people relate to them today. My intention was to explore the layers of meaning these underground spaces hold — both in personal memory and in the collective imagination.
By definition, a cave is “an underground cavity with predominantly horizontal development.” But what I encountered was much more complex. Over the centuries, many of these sites have shifted in use and meaning. In the 1980s and 1990s, for example, some caves became informal gathering spots for young people looking for freedom and alternative spaces. Today, many of them are either forgotten or inaccessible due to changes in the landscape and urban development.
I picked up the theme of the cave and launched my research through Facebook. All the people I interviewed were found via the platform, and it became a useful tool for gathering stories and insights. Interestingly, not everyone was directly connected to the concept of the cave itself — unlike me, who was actively trying to build a coherent narrative around it. But what emerged was that each of them had a strong relationship with what the cave ultimately represents: a place of shelter, protection, isolation, or even escape.