Cuile Vilithi Vilithi – Supramonte – Oliena
Since I started walking trails, I have noticed how the ways to report them have changed over the years. Forty years ago it was difficult to find a signal that provided the slightest indication, a small symbol that, even psychologically, made the path easier and the place more familiar. Today the myriad of signs that are scattered on rocks, trees and walls of old ruins, means that walking has become something within everyone’s reach, even those who are not really an expert hiker.
I have wondered several times if there was something wrong with this redundancy of visual information which, instead of facilitating, was becoming misleading to everyone.
Of course, I have always loved stone cairns, which grow according to the presence of man in the area. A symbol that shows you the way, without too many frills, without ever indicating that that is the right way or your goal. From those piles of stones, you can understand how popular that path is, without ever giving yourself the guarantee of being on the right direction. For people like me who like to orient themselves in nature, they are a perfect way to indicate a direction, without ever telling you where that track is taking you on the ground.
It is clear that with the increase in the number of hikers a new form of indications was needed, which above all avoided misleading and dangerous information. Here, in most of the beaten paths, standard signs have been gradually adopted, the one known as CAI signs. Even the Forestas Agency, which deals with the path network in Sardinia, has finally adopted this system. It is not necessary to repeat that smearing the paths with paints of every color or above all mimicking an official sign, which today is recognized by the vast majority of people who go along paths, should be actions to be prevented in every way.